Kristin Hannah hit it out of the park again. I previously read her book The Nightingale – a story of World War 2 + the French Resistance and it was so good that I jumped at the opportunity to review her latest novel The Great Alone.
The novel begins in the mid-1970s with a family - father Ernt, mother Cora, and their young teenaged daughter Leni. After coming home from the Vietnam War, Ernt is a very different man; a drinker, moody, sometimes scary. Today we call what he has PTSD. He's a man who's suspicious of the government and other people and can no longer hold a job. The thought of getting away from civilization appeals to him.
When an opportunity to move to a little village in the wilds of Alaska pops up, Ernt jumps on it with little consideration of Cora and Leni. They move into a small cabin without much preparation for the coming winter - one with 18 hours of darkness, weeks without being able to travel, and no fresh food. Thankfully, for them, some of the residents come and help them prepare.
The cast of characters living in and around Kaneq, located off of Homer in Kachemak Bay, is as fascinating and as varied as the day is long. There are those who long to improve Kaneq and make it place others would want to visit and those who want the outsiders to stay away. Ernt is eager to join those who enjoy keeping others away.
The main character, though, is Leni. A 13-year-old young lady who has moved multiple times, attended multiple schools, and who doesn't understand how her mother can continue to stay with a man who drinks too much.
But Leni is coming of age in a small village, learning how to defend herself against wild animals, hunting for food, and experiencing friendship. At the same time, the hours of darkness and cold of the winter changes her father. Makes his dark moods return.
Soon Leni and Cora are defending themselves from Ernt.
I loved this book and had a very hard time putting it down. Hannah writes a fabulous book that would appeal to women and men. I highly recommend reading both of these books.
I received this book from St. Martin's Press for free in exchange for an honest review.
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