Reading for Me

Let’s start with the most important statement. READ THIS BOOK!!!!! Okay now that is out of the way….let’s move on to an actual review.

The Great Alone is an amazing novel filled with adventure, drama, love, and survival in the Alaskan wilderness. Hannah’s novel follows the life of the young heroine, Leni, and her dysfunctional parents, Ernt and Cora. Set in the 1970s, Ernt is a Vietnam veteran who has returned home and seeks to find his place again in society. Traumatized by his experiences as a POW, Ernt struggles with issues of trust and intense anger.

In a moment of “inspiration”, Ernt loads up his family and sets out for Alaska in search of a place where they will not be bothered by government interference and modern living. Leni expects to hate her new living conditions. Instead, she finds a community that becomes the family she has always longed for and has desperately needed. Additionally, she finds love with a forbidden boy.

While much of the novel’s opening focuses on Ernt’s actions, this is merely a setup to examine Leni’s response to Alaska. The novel is a beautiful coming-of-age story of a young girl who must find her way against all odds and learns the true meaning of “survival.” This novel has easily become the best read of my year so far….and one of my favorite contemporary novels of the decade. Kristin Hannah is quickly becoming an author of immense talent for telling stories that force you to think objectively while adequately tugging at your heart strings.

Posted in fiction