The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah– 440 pages

Book Blurb:

Alaska, 1974. Unpredictable. Unforgiving. Untamed.
For a family in crisis, the ultimate test of survival.
At first, Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers. In a wild, remote corner of the state, they 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 Allbrights’ lack of preparation and dwindling resources. But as winter approaches and darkness descends on Alaska, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture. 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. In the wild, there is no one to save them but themselves. The Great Alone is a daring, beautiful, stay-up-all-night story about love and loss, the fight for survival, and the wildness that lives in both man and nature.

My Review: 4.5 stars

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The Great Alone, Kristin Hannah’s newest release after the mega hit The Nightingale, will absolutely delight readers once again. She’s found a new audience as she’s stretched beyond women’s fiction and chick lit to historical, richer and profound novels. Honestly, I was not excited to read this book. I sat with an ARC months before release and never picked it up. Although I love traveling to new places in this book, I had no interest of reading a book set in Alaska, while bundled up in the throes of a Chicago winter. During a complete brain drain, I bought the hardback copy, totally forgetting I had the pre-release and am so glad I let this story takeover.

Endurance is truly at the heart of this novel and not just due to the Alaskan bush winters. It’s about survival during the utmost of horrific circumstances within your own home. It’s about dealing with change and learning about all the messed up and beautiful ways to love someone. It’s about love and kindness and community. It’s about living off the land. It’s also has a strong sense of hope as we see Leni, the protagonist, never give up.

This story is gripping and thoughtfully written. I highly recommend it. Interestingly, I chose to read the memoir Educated when I finished The Great Alone. Little did I know how similar the circumstances were between these two books. If you’ve read them both, you’ll get it. I enjoyed both books, yet I strongly suggest reading them at least a few week apart.

Quotes I liked:

You know what they say about finding a man in Alaska—the odds are good, but the goods are odd.”

– “Love and fear. The most destructive forces on earth. Fear had turned her inside out, love had made her stupid.”

– “Like all motherless girls, Leni would become an emotional explorer, trying to uncover the lost part of her, the mother who carried and nurtured and loved her. Leni would become both mother and child; to her, mama would still grow and age. She would never be gone, not as long as Leni remembered her.”