Historical Fiction: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

In 2015 Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale won for Best Historical Fiction in the Goodreads Choice Awards. Now Hannah has returned with another historical fiction novel, this one taking place in the wild setting that was small town Alaska in the 1970s. Against this often cold, unforgiving, but also beautiful backdrop, one family will struggle to survive against the dangers both outside and inside of their own home.

The Situation: It is 1974 and Vietnam veteran Ernt Allbright has decided that the lower 48 states are headed for disaster and it is time to head north. A former friend and fellow soldier has left him with land and a small cabin in the tiny town that is Kaneq, Alaska, and this is where Ernt has decided his family will begin their new lives. Pretty much immediately upon arrival, Ernt, his wife Cora, and their 13 year-old daughter Leni, realize they are unprepared for what surviving in Alaska will require, but Ernt is undeterred, and the family gets to work. But summers in Alaska, while incredibly beautiful, can also be deceiving. The days when the sun rarely sets do nothing to prepare you for the cold ones in winter, the season when the darkness reigns. As the Allbrights work harder than they have ever worked before to prepare for their first Alaskan winter, Leni knows that being able to survive the harsh outside will only be half the battle.

The Problem: Ever since he returned from Vietnam, Ernt has been a changed man, and not for the better. In the lower 48 states, he was unable to hold down a job, which resulted in the family moving around a lot, with Alaska being their most recent destination. While the Alaskan summer seems to have energized him and made him a new man, the encroaching darkness will prove to be too much on him, causing effects on his mood that make him more dangerous than any animal out in the wilderness. Leni manages to find refuge in Matthew, the only kid in town her age, though her father hates his father, mostly out of jealousy. The only thing that embarrasses Leni more than how her father acts is the way her mother puts up with it. Alaska seems to have the ability to bring out both the best and worst of people, turning some of them into survivors, while others flee while they can or get swallowed by the wilderness. 

Genre, Themes, History: This is a historical fiction novel that begins in 1974, but with that majority of the dramatic action taking place in 1978-1979. Ernt Allbright is a Vietnam veteran will severe PTSD, back when the U.S. was not too good at diagnosing and treating it. This is also a time before laws that were designed to protect victims of domestic abuse. Cora felt trapped in her situation, believing that even if she left Ernt, taking Leni with her, he would only track them down and kill them. But Leni knew that really, her mother loved her father too much to leave him or press charges. The locals of Kaneq make it very clear to the Allbrights that their first winter in Alaska will be rough and that they need to spend the majority of the summer preparing. Ernt insists they are up to the challenge, but this is before the days of 18 hours of darkness and unending snow. It is a novel about Alaska, survival, domestic abuse, PTSD, the effects of war, true community, and love.

My Verdict: Much like with The Nightingale, Hannah manages to tell a story about a time and place that is far removed from most of her readers and bring it to them in vivid detail. Few features or moments are lost as Hannah makes sure to pick up every thread and follow it through. As a person who absolutely cannot stand cold weather (I live in Texas for a reason), the details and visuals of this novel made me want to see Alaska with my own eyes. However, as much as I loved the descriptions of the setting, I had the hardest time with Leni as a character. Having Cora stay with her abusive husband was frustrating enough, but Leni's ability to *spoiler alert* make one bad decision after another, and then be crushed by the consequences was incredibly hard to take for 400+ pages. But then again, when a teenage girl is forced to live that kind of life, she does the best she can, which is exactly what Leni did. With a gorgeous setting, and a community of complex characters, fans of Hannah's other novels will love this one, as will anyone who is at all interested in or fascinated by the wilds of Alaska.

Favorite Moment: When Large Marge, the owner of the General Store, storms into the Allbright's home and proceeds to put Ernt in his place.

Favorite Character: Large Marge used to be a prosecutor in Washington, D.C. before leaving it all behind to start over in Alaska. She is loud, confident, generous, and loving. An argument could easily be made that she is the hero of the novel as she manages to come through for Leni and Cora time and time again.

Recommended Reading: Stephen King's The Shining would actually be a great follow-up considering the similarities (snowbound setting, encroaching mental darkness, tense family relationships). But I will also recommend Educated, a nonfiction book by Tara Westover about her life growing up in a survivalist family that did not believe in public education, and her journey to obtain a PhD from Cambridge.