THE GREAT ALONE - by Kristin Hannah

THE GREAT ALONE - by Kristin Hannah ** - Based in the 1970s, The Great Alone follows a dysfunctional family’s attempt to start over in the Alaskan Wilderness. With no experience of the darkness and remoteness of rural Alaska, Ernt Albright leads his daughter, thirteen-year-old Leni, and his wife Cora to the edge of civilization, where they must find ways to fit in with the locals, prepare for winter, and survive a tense familial situation.

If you know me, you know I love a family saga. I also can enjoy practically any historical fiction. I also adore stories about the wilderness. This book has all three, and therefore I should have absolutely adored it! However, I found it lacking in many ways. Here’s what I think this book did right: The Great Alone discussed a variety of heavy topics including domestic violence, politics, disabilities, loss, grief, mental health, and war. Hannah did an incredible job of letting the reader into these private moments with raw vulnerability and honesty. The depictions of young love were very real and all too familiar. I love that. Here’s what I didn’t love: I felt there was too much book, too little story. Don’t get me wrong, I love a ‘slice of life’, slow build, character-driven story. However, this wasn’t that. It felt very dragged out, the whole beginning section seemed unimportant and better off left out. Technically, a lot happened in the story, but I feel the story could have been told even better in a more concise manner. Sometimes less is more! I’ve read a lot of incredibly moving, heart-wrenching tales. I’ve read a lot of reviews that said this book was one of those for a lot of people. In my opinion, it just wasn’t. That being said, if you love a wilderness tale, family sagas, and historical fiction - you might find this one engaging and different.