The Great Alone

Remember when Kristin Hannah used to write romance novels? Those days are long gone! The Great Alone is like a Jack London book crossed with Anna Quindlen's [b:Black and Blue 5157 Black and Blue Anna Quindlen https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388459940s/5157.jpg 2349447], as a troubled Vietnam War vet impulsively moves his wife and teenage daughter to a remote corner of Alaska. Major props to Hannah for showing the beauty and the danger side by side in our northernmost state, especially in the 1970s before tourism tamed some of the landscape. (Fortunately her annoying habit of inserting random radio songs into scenes as if to say “Look! It's the 1970s!” largely disappears once the action shifts to a cabin with no electricity.) The family drama is at times difficult to read because of the constant violence that Leni's mother Cora endures at the hands of her husband, accompanied by the familiar cycle of “I'm so sorry, it won't happen again” and “I have to stay with him, he needs me.” There are only a few notable secondary characters and much of the book keeps the main trio isolated from everyone else, creating a somewhat claustrophobic atmosphere. Leni does find a romance, albeit one with lots of tragedy and separation, but the real love story is between Leni and Cora, who stick together no matter what, even when their lives are at risk. You could argue that Cora isn't a good mother because by staying with Ernt she puts Leni's life at risk, but she does all she can to protect her daughter until the very end.The book suffers slightly from a bit of uneven plotting, with a slow start and a rushed ending, but overall this is a strong novel that deserves the bestselling status it will probably achieve.