Review - The Great Alone
The Great Alone
by Kristin Hannah
release date: 2/6/2018
435 pages
Chapters: Medium
3 out of 5 stars
In "The Great Alone," we meet teenage Leni and her parents, Cora and Ernt. After Ernt returns from the war in Vietnam, the family imparts on a somewhat nomadic existence, not truly fitting in in any of the many places they venture to.
After a stroke of luck, the family heads to the Alaskan bush country to set up a homesteading existence, with the help of others in the sparse community. At first, Alaska seems like it will be the solution to all of their problems. Unfortunately, that feeling doesn't last long, as the dark winters exacerbate Ernt's issues with undiagnosed PTSD.
As Ernt becomes increasingly violent, the darkness of Alaska becomes more metaphorically imposing than it does physically; in the bush country there is danger all around them, but the greatest danger of all ends up being in their own home.
This book is beautifully written. Kristen Hannah is without a doubt one of the most skillful writers I have read recently. The characters are all well developed, the descriptions of the scenery are breathtakingly detailed, and the story manages to arc over many years without any awkward time jumps.
The reason I did not rate this book higher is because of the author's reluctance to let Leni have anything good happen to her. There are some obviously negative themes running throughout the book; without giving anything away, there is an escalating series of domestic violence incidents that are pertinent to keeping the story moving forward. That being said, the violence, negativity, and straight up terrible things that happen to the main character are so numerous that it's over the top. By the end, it felt completely gratuitous and made the book significantly less enjoyable than I think it could have been.
While well written, I found this book to be emotionally draining, which is not usually what I look for when picking a new book.
If you're interested in reading this book, consider using my link to purchase it from Amazon and help support Blonde Bibliotaph.
by Kristin Hannah
release date: 2/6/2018
435 pages
Chapters: Medium
3 out of 5 stars
In "The Great Alone," we meet teenage Leni and her parents, Cora and Ernt. After Ernt returns from the war in Vietnam, the family imparts on a somewhat nomadic existence, not truly fitting in in any of the many places they venture to.
After a stroke of luck, the family heads to the Alaskan bush country to set up a homesteading existence, with the help of others in the sparse community. At first, Alaska seems like it will be the solution to all of their problems. Unfortunately, that feeling doesn't last long, as the dark winters exacerbate Ernt's issues with undiagnosed PTSD.
As Ernt becomes increasingly violent, the darkness of Alaska becomes more metaphorically imposing than it does physically; in the bush country there is danger all around them, but the greatest danger of all ends up being in their own home.
This book is beautifully written. Kristen Hannah is without a doubt one of the most skillful writers I have read recently. The characters are all well developed, the descriptions of the scenery are breathtakingly detailed, and the story manages to arc over many years without any awkward time jumps.
The reason I did not rate this book higher is because of the author's reluctance to let Leni have anything good happen to her. There are some obviously negative themes running throughout the book; without giving anything away, there is an escalating series of domestic violence incidents that are pertinent to keeping the story moving forward. That being said, the violence, negativity, and straight up terrible things that happen to the main character are so numerous that it's over the top. By the end, it felt completely gratuitous and made the book significantly less enjoyable than I think it could have been.
While well written, I found this book to be emotionally draining, which is not usually what I look for when picking a new book.
If you're interested in reading this book, consider using my link to purchase it from Amazon and help support Blonde Bibliotaph.
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