The Great Alone

 

Let me start out by saying I enjoyed reading this book and the 400+ pages went by quickly.

Let me also say it never could have lived up to the hype.

I post pictures of every book I read on Instagram. When I posted the picture of this book, the crowd went wild. People sent messages and comments, all saying this was one of the best books they'd ever read. The person who recommended it has never steered me wrong, either. But, given the pre-read adulation, I should have known I'd be somewhat disappointed.

The Great Alone is the story of a family, struggling to make it in the post-Vietnam 1970s. The dad was a POW and came back with an anger and depression that wasn't properly identified back then. He moves the family to Alaska to live on land left to him by one of his dead war buddies. The isolation of Alaska brings out his adventurous side - but also exacerbates the violence and rage buried within him.

Most of the story is told through his daughter Leni, who grows up loving her dad, but living in fear as she watches him beat her mom. She grows to thrive in Alaska, even as her father's mood gets darker and more violent and paranoid. 

So much happens to Leni and her mom. Too much, I would say, to make a concise story. I don't want to give anything away, but it got to the point where another bad thing would happen and it just didn't need to in order to advance the developments of the characters.

Looking back, it really is a story about war and family and the intense bond between this mother and daughter. There were heart-wrenching moments throughout. While it felt like it tied up into a bow at the end, it felt heavy-handed at times in the way the plot forced those character relationships.

People have told me that her other novel The Nightengale is the one I should read. It's on my bookshelf and I do plan to read it. This one, while I didn't love it as much as so many others did, did not deter me from trying this author again.