The Great Alone - Kristin Hannah

Publication Info

The Great Alone is a historical fiction novel written by Kristen Hannah and published on February 6, 2018 by St. Martin's Press. It is a New York Times Bestseller, and winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Historical Fiction in 2018.

Brief Summary

The Great Alone is a story of survival and determination even in the midst of the harshest conditions. In 1974, post-Vietnam America, the reader meets Leni Allbright, a thirteen-year-old girl living in Seattle, Washington. Alongside Leni is her mom Cora, and her father Ernt.

Ernt is a Vietnam veteran and former POW. After 6 years of captivity he finally comes home. However, as the reader soon discovers, he has a hard time keeping a steady job. He comes home once again to tell his family that he has lost his job. But this is not bad news. Ernt receives the tragic news that one of his Vietnam buddies passed away, but he left him his cabin in Kaneq, Alaska. With this news, and nothing now holding them there, Ernt decides to take this opportunity and move to Alaska.

It is a long journey, but Alaska seems to be the answer to the Allbright's prayers. In a land where the sun continues to shine, hopes begin to rise for the Allbright family. Summer is prosperous, and this family begins to dig its roots into the community that they find in Kaneq. However, winter quickly comes, and the long sunlit days begin to grow shorter and shorter. The Allbright's begin to realize that in a land where there are a thousand ways to die, sometimes the most dangerous place to be is in your own home. With the darkness falling, and Ernt's mental state dwindling, Leni and Cora realize that they are truly on their own.

Review

In short, I love this book. It is personally one of my new favorite books. There are very few books that keep me so engaged that I cannot put the book down. The copy of the book that I have is 545 pages long. I am an average paced reader, but I started and finished this book in about 5 days. I was reading for 2 to 2 1/2 hours a day, but it would feel closer to only 20 minutes. This is how I want to feel when I am reading.

So now that I have gotten that out of the way, let's get to the actual review.

This book will capture you. It will grab you and not let you go. When I bought this book I was skeptical. I read the back cover and thought, "This should be okay." But honestly, I didn't think much more than that. I was pleasantly surprised, and honestly by the second chapter I was sold.

I know this review is a little bit shorter than others, but I do not want to ruin the book for anyone who is interested in reading it. I cannot give this book enough praise. It is easily one of my new favorite books, and I would absolutely recommend it to everybody.

Rating - 5/5

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Currently Reading - Out of the Silent Planet - C.S. Lewis

* While I enjoyed this book, it is important to mention that there is a significant amount of domestic abuse throughout the book.