I went to breakfast with my friends Tracey Lewis and Amy Walker a few weeks ago. Tracey handed me The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. “You’ll love this!” she said. I’ve known Tracey for many years, and she’s never wrong.
It’s somewhat serendipitous that a book set in the wilds of Alaska would come my way while I was working on the April Earth Day issue of This Awful Awesome Life, but I’m so glad it did.
I could not put this book down. The story begins in 1974 and ends in 2009 commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Alaskan statehood.
Hannah’s descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness are breathtaking. Her depictions of PTSD, rage, and domestic violence are heartbreaking, but the resilience of her characters give us hope they will survive and learn to heal.
The Allbright family is in crisis. Ernt Allbright is suffering from undiagnosed PTSD after being released from a Vietnamese POW camp. His wife Cora is determined to stand by him and tries to shield their thirteen-year-old daughter Lenora (Leni) from her father’s often erratic behavior. Ernt has nightmares about the war and his time as a POW. He’s quick to anger and has trouble holding down a job. He was a mechanic with a good paying job before he enlisted to serve his country. The America he believed in is no longer the America he lives in. Ernt is hurt and angry because he feels forgotten and reviled by his government. The family moves around a lot searching for a place Ernt can feel at peace.
After once again losing his job, Ernt receives a letter from the father of his friend Bo Harlan. Bo was killed in Vietnam. According to Bo’s instructions if he died in the war, he wanted his best friend and fellow soldier Ernt Allbright to inherit his property in Alaska. Bo’s father Earl has been trying for several years to locate Ernt, but because the Allbrights have moved so often it’s taken years to find them.
Ernt insists this is just the fresh start his family needs. They sell everything, buy a VW van and head for Alaska. Cora and Leni are worried and loathe to start again in such an isolated place, but Ernt’s optimism and enthusiasm makes them hopeful this may be what’s best for everyone.
They are welcomed by Bo’s family and the tight-knit community in Kaneq. The homestead needs work, there’s no indoor plumbing or modern conveniences, but their neighbors help. Ernt seems to have found a purpose, and he’s happy in the sun-drenched summer days where it’s only dark for a few hours.
Leni fears what will happen in the fall when it’s dark for sixteen hours a day, and the weather keeps them hostage for days at a time. Cora tries to reassure Leni that everything will be okay, but a darkness comes over Ernt which threatens everyone close to him. How will Cora and Leni survive in such an isolated place when Ernt’s demons come calling?
Cora and Leni quickly fall in love with Alaska’s wild beauty and learn to respect its hazards. They learn new skills and grow physically and mentally stronger. They lean on each other for support as Ernt’s behavior becomes more violent and unpredictable.
Even with friends willing to help, their isolation leaves them more alone than ever before.
Other Books by Kristin Hannah:
The Four Winds
The Nightingale
Fly Away
Home Front
Night Road
Winter Garden
True Colors
Firefly Lane
Magic Hour
Comfort and Joy
The Things We Do for Love
Between Sisters
Distant Shores
Summer Island
Angel Falls
On Mystic Lake
Home Again
Waiting for the Moon
When Lightning Strikes
If You Believe
Once in Every Life
The Enchantment
A Handful of Heaven
Wild
Another Life
The Women
Visit her website: www.Kristinhannah.com
Photos:
Photo of Kristin Hannah taken by Kevin Lynch
The images copied from www.Kristinhannah.com are included in this book review with no intent of copyright infringement.