Ratings1
Average rating4
Family means everything to Alaskan fisherman Ray Bancroft, raising his granddaughter while battling storms, invasive species, and lawsuit-happy tourists. To navigate, and to catch enough crab to feed her college fund, Ray seeks help from a multitude of gods and goddesses -- not to mention ad-libbed rituals performed at sea by his half-Tlingit best friend. But kitchen counter gods and otter bone ceremonies aren't enough when his estranged daughter returns from prison, swearing she's clean and sober. Her search for a safe harbor threatens everything Ray holds sacred. Set against a backdrop of ice and mud and loss, Dan Berne's gripping debut novel explores the unpredictable fissures of memory, and how families can break apart even in the midst of healing.
Reviews with the most likes.
Raymond, a battered captain who crabs for a living. Jenny, his estranged addict of a daughter. Sitka, his coming-of-age granddaughter. All tried to mend the cracks in their relationship on a tepid reunion.
I know nothing about fishing, nothing about Alaska, and nothing about the gods. Yet, the book enchants me into the rocky world of Yatki Island with meticulous craft and raw poignancy.
The book gets increasingly harrowing towards the end, but I find the final chapters a bit rushed. If there were one more chapter at the end, it would have been a 5-star.