Genre: Book
Grade: A
Notable People: Kristin Hannah
Title: The Great Alone
Review: I read Hannah’s Nightingale book earlier this month, and was so impressed I went looking for more of her work. It appears she is prolific and writes a lot of what is considered “romance novels”…but I found this recent one that is another clear split from the usual. This is one of the most challenging reads I’ve had in a while. Filled with PTSD and domestic violence, it is the story of a young girl relocating to the pure wilds of the Kenai Peninsula in remote Alaska with her crazed Vietnam vet father and helpless mother, circa early 70s. The portrayal of life in “the great alone” is spectacular and the story quite compelling. Trapped in a remote cabin with an explosive and paranoid father for eight months of 18 hour a day winter, it is a fearsome portrayal of living in a very narrow world without seeming options….until…..but I wont spoil it. Memorable characters and a well-developed setting takes this novel to another level. Difficult. Spellbinding. Captivating.