The Great Alone

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Did you hold Leni responsible in your mind for any of Matthew’s misfortune? Why or why not? How does Leni show her devotion in the end? Did you anticipate the kind of future that is set in motion for them at the close of the book? Leni is hopeful when they first arrive in the small outpost of Kaneq. But as the days shorten and the sky darkens when winter appraches, Ernst’s temper and volatile impulses re-emerge. As Leni grows up, she and her mother must manage Ernst and the demons which haunt him. Book Review KRISTIN HANNAH grabbed my attention from the get-go with her freaky cold (Brrrrrrrr) descriptively atmospheric novel set in a remote 1970's Alaska where "you can make one mistake, but the second one will kill you"......literally.

It was otherworldly somehow, magical in its vast expanse. An incomparable landscape.” (31) Alaska is definitely a character in this novel. The author clearly wants you to understand both the grandeur and danger that are present every day in the Last Frontier. How did the landscape create and shape this story? Is this a story that could have taken place anywhere? Or was the solitude of Alaska part of the fabric of the novel? Allbright family wanted a fresh start and brand new life but they chose the wildest, harshest, cruelest place to live…He promises he’ll do better, that he’ll cut down on drinking. Leni has seen this all before but she won’t put up a fuss about moving again. She’ll do as she’s asked. The year 1974, Vietnam War is over but war against the inner demons, struggles, psychological damage residues on people’s minds, hearts and souls still out there! According to various studies, approximately 30% of men and 27% of women had PTSD at some point in their life following Vietnam. Many of them had PTSD as a chronic condition spanning more than a decade. The ripple effect of PTSD and it's after-effects in personal, family and social life is devastating. It caused in the development of a lot of Psychological, cardiac, neurological abnormalities. Substance abuse, domestic violence, suicides caused due to it is also very high in number. Vietnam syndrome which was the public aversion to American overseas military involvements, following the domestic controversy was also very prominent during that time. This is a novel where the Darwinian theory of “Survival of the fittest” is tested to the core and is extremely difficult to read due to the large number of harsh circumstances that Leni had to face.

As time passes, Leni and Matthew's friendship grows more romantic, and they kiss at a picnic. Matthew asks Leni to go to college with him. One night when Matthew and Leni are camping, a storm hits and Matthew is injured trying to help her. He suffers from brain damage. Leni learns she is pregnant and tries to keep this a secret from her father. At school, Matthew is withdrawn. There is a school field trip where he shoves Leni away she tries to help him. Afterwards, Matthew tells her he is going to stay with his aunt, so he can see a shrink and be with his sister and get the help he needs. He leaves. The Great Alone is a semiautobiographical novel written by American author Kristin Hannah published by St. Martin's Press in 2018. The story follows the Allbright family's move to the Alaskan wilderness and the ensuing challenges they face there. Her mother, Cora, desperately clings to the man he used to be but it's incredibly clear to Leni that the man her mother remembers is far gone. Love and fear. The most destructive forces on earth. Fear had turned her inside out, love had made her stupid.Ernt inherits some land from a friend and suddenly Leni finds herself leaving everything behind for Alaska.She knew fact from fiction but couldn’t give up her love stories. They made her feel as if women could be in control of their own destinies. Even in a cruel, dark world that tested women to the very limits of their endurance, the heroines of these novels could prevail and find true love.” The ending of The Great Alone is somewhat bittersweet, but it ends with Leni’s total adoration of Alaska. Wow!! This was a FANTASTIC novel. There is no way anyone could have pried this book from my hands while I was reading it.