The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah was my book club’s
January selection. I love Kristin
Hannah. I feel like she has really grown
as a writer from what I perceived as chick lit to well thought out books. She has expanded as I expanded my reading and
as an adult reader she has consistently written books that I’ve adored. I think I’ve only been disappointed once?
Those are good odds!
The Great Alone is not what I would call light or a happy
read. It was dark, real and practically
perfect for a January winter read. It
was dark, depressing and covered those emotions in the characters in the book.
The book is set in the 1970s and is about a family that
moves to Alaska to start over AGAIN, because the dad needs a change. He was a POW in the Vietnam War and he is not
okay. He clearly has what today would
definitely be considered PTSD if not a host of other mental ailments. He treats his family horrendously, and as his
teen age daughter learns, beats his wife.
He is convinced that this chance to move to Alaska is what
will make him better. No one out there
telling him what to do, living off the land, etc. etc. They move to Alaska so unprepared. They move in May and as soon as they get
there everyone is talking about what to do to get ready for the winter. Winter that according to the calendar doesn’t
start until December. But they learn quickly
what winter in Alaska means. They are
woefully unprepared. And the constant
darkness? Spoiler alert: It does not
help his paranoia.
I read this book super fast. I’ve struggled in my sleep deprived haze the
last few months to barrel through brooks at the pace I’m accustomed, but this
book was a very quick read. I read it
all on my phone and that may have had something to do with it. I mean, I spend about 3 plus hours of my day
nursing, and Adeline is not a calm nurser.
If I’m holding a book she is trying to kick it out of my hands. She is funny, she demands constant
attention. As in, if you try to multi
task while nursing me, even if my eyes are closed, I will try to disrupt
you. The phone is easier to hide from
her but she still does her dardnest to knock it out!!!
Anyway, when we talked about it at book club, we had come
across a series of questions and I wanted to post some here and answer them and
invite others to answer them, as I know others have read this book too! So feel
free to pick and choose if you’ve read the book, and if you haven’t I highly
recommend it!
What aspects of the
Alaska/homesteader lifestyle would you find the most challenging in the wild?
How would you handle the isolation, the interdependence among neighbors, the
climate? Would you have what it takes to survive?
I honestly would not be able
to handle a lot of it. I’m a wuss. I do not hunt. I do NOT like the idea of eating so much meat
from having to depend on hunting. I am
not handy. I cannot sew. I also love electricity. I am not someone anyone would want if the
world was ending. I also think that I
could do okay in small bursts with isolation.
But for long periods of time I may not be able to handle it. I think I can handle it now, because of
social media. But to eliminate ANY
communication with people would be tough.
And limited books. Eeek.
The
Great Alone is set in the
turbulent world of America in the 1970’s. Why do you think the author chose
this time period? How did the world at that time, with the political unrest and
kidnappings and plane hijackings, factor into the plot? Why do you believe the
back-to-the-earth movement spoke to so many people in the seventies? Why did it
speak to Ernt?
I think the time period
helps the reader to understand the lack of outside communication, the ability
to slip into new identities, no electricity, PTSD with no help, and the POW
storyline. All the doomsday news items
helped Ernt ( the dad) delve into the paranoia he had about why they needed to
be away from society and make their own way.
One of the issues
highlighted in the novel is the lack of legal support for women in the
seventies. Large Marge often makes the point that the law can’t help women like
Cora, and Leni, even as young as she is, intuits that only Cora can save
herself. Do you think that was true then? Is it true today? Does the law do
enough to help battered women?
I think in some ways it is
better and in some ways has not been fixed.
Shooting someone in the back does not go over well. Even if he was attacking her daughter at the
time. I think people are more apt to
believe women, but it is still EXTREMELY difficult for them to proceed in legal
matters.
What is your favorite
Kristin Hannah novel? Have you ever been to Alaska?
