The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Reviewed by: Isaac Jacobs, Reference Assistant
Genre: Historical Fiction, Survival Fiction
Suggested Age: Adults
What is This Book About?: The Great Alone, placed in 1974, focuses on Leni Allbright, the 13 year old daughter of Ernt and Cora Allbright. Ernt, a veteran from the Vietnam War, suffers from nightmares and mood swings as a result of the war; he was once a happy man. To remedy this and provide a fresh start, Ernt moves his family all over the country, constantly placing Leni as “the new girl” in schools. One day, he’s gifted a run-down property in Kenaq, Alaska, by his late battle buddy, Bo. Despite intervention from family members and thoughts of doubt by Cora and Leni, they make the move to Alaska, hoping that off-grid living and a sense of adventure will be the solution to their troubles. However, life in the Alaskan bush proves to be the least of their worries for the hurting family.
My Review: The Great Alone is an enthralling book with well-developed characters and thought-provoking themes. While the story’s overarching story arc is the dynamics of a family struggling to come together and find happiness and stability, it also focuses on the damages that war has inflicted upon soldiers and its results, as well as self-sufficiency and perseverance versus community, and the lack of female independence in the male-driven world of the 1970s. Kristin Hannah surely refuses to beat around the bush, rather making the decision to write about hard-hitting issues such as mental illness, domestic struggles, as well as critiques on war and crime. While I commend Hannah for her bold writing and wonderful story weaving, it almost feels like the story is driven by one dramatic moment to the next, without a breath of calm between each — then again, life never follows such an expected and comfortable pattern either.
Three Words That Describe This Book: thought-provoking, unpredictable, heartbreaking
Give This A Try If You Like… Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate, historical fiction, survival fiction
Rating: 4/5
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
