The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

While residing in the Sun River community in St. George, I wandered into the library hoping for a good read. Their selection is heavy on popular suspense novels, which I don't particularly enjoy. However, this one caught my eye because I'd read some Amazon reviews about this particular book, and the cover notes looked intriguing.

It was a good read that held my interest. Good dialogue with interesting characters. The story of domestic abuse of a returned Viet Nam POW was hard to read at times, but probably true to life. The time setting also attracted me--the early 70's, and I enjoyed all of the cultural references to that time. One pervasive force in the novel is the setting. Alaska and its beauty and its terror are described poetically. The hardships and rewards of life in "the great alone" are fascinating to read about. I was unaware of the way people lived "off the grid" and what they did to survive... Like raising goats and chickens, hunting moose, and fishing and smoking their catch for the winter were all interesting to read about. I also enjoyed the description of the remote school, and how the few people in this area relied on each other. 

I had also assumed that the long summer days were spent enjoying the summer and light--wrong. They were spent in intense toil and preparation for the long winters. I understand better now the impacts of long, dark winter on the psyche. It was fascinating to read about.

This author drew real characters with real struggles. The abusive father and devoted mother and their struggles are depicted with empathy and understanding. The pain of Leni, their daughter is evident, as is her strength and resilience. The neighbors are also real-seeming people, who kind of reminded me of some of our old Redwood Road neighbors back in the day... Rough cut, independent, and self-sufficient. I didn't realize that Alaska was (and maybe still is) a refuge for the lawless and crazy who want to get out of society as we know it. All of this was fascinating in the context of the story.

The way the author describes the beauty of Alaska is compelling! I haven't really wanted to visit there before, because to me it's no fun to travel to places that are COLD. However, after Jane's trip and this book, maybe I will reconsider. It sounds overwhelmingly beautiful! 

This was the perfect St. George read on the days that were too cold to spend much of it outside (30's and 40's). I read with a hot cup of cider or herb tea and was taken away. Enjoyable but not enough to read again... Some interesting plot twists and turns with some beautiful descriptions of human devotion, resilience and love.