The Great Alone: A Novel
#1 New York Times Instant Bestseller
In Kristin Hannah’s The Great Alone, a desperate family seeks a new beginning in the near-isolated wilderness of Alaska only to find that their unpredictable environment is less threatening than the erratic behavior found in human nature.
Alaska, 1974. Ernt Allbright came home from the Vietnam War a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes the impulsive decision to move his wife and daughter north where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier.
Cora will do anything for the man she loves, even if means following him into the unknown. Thirteen-year-old Leni, caught in the riptide of her parents’ passionate, stormy relationship, has little choice but to go along, daring to hope this new land promises her family a better future.
In a wild, remote corner of Alaska, the Allbrights find a fiercely independent community of strong men and even stronger women. The long, sunlit days and the generosity of the locals make up for the newcomers’ lack of preparation and dwindling resources.
But as winter approaches and darkness descends, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within. In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in eighteen hours of night, Leni and her mother learn the terrible truth: they are on their own.
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Community Reviews
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
438 pages
What’s it about?
This novel centers around 13-year-old Leni Allbright. It is 1974 and Leni’s father, Ernst, is home from the Vietnam War and having trouble assimilating after his experience as a P.O.W. He decides that moving to Alaska, the last great frontier, will fix everything. So Leni, Ernst, and her mother Cora load up the VW bus and make their way to Alaska. But will Alaska be the answer to all their problems?
What did it make me think about?
This is a novel of equal parts about PTSD, abusive relationships, the bond between a mother and her child, and perhaps most of all this book is a love letter to the state of Alaska.
Should you read it?
Many of us read “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah. It was hugely popular. Much like her previous book- the characters in this story seem to be written as either all good or all bad. The characters can feel a little too simplified for me. It is usually pretty easy to see what is coming. However the plot really does move along- especially in the second half. I also found myself really drawn in by the end of the novel and reached for my Kleenex more than once… If you liked “The Nightingale”, or Jodi Picoult novels, then you should definitely pick up this book.
Quote-
“She could never tell him how it felt to live with a dad who scared you sometimes and a mother who loved him too much and made him prove how much he loved her in dangerous ways.”
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