The Great Alone- Kristin Hannah

Because this book is so well known and loved, I think I’ll skip the synopsis portion of my review for this one.

The Great Alone is one of the most “whole” books I’ve ever read. Whole in its structure with no loose ends left untied (hallelujah) and whole in the sense that it fills you emotionally. I felt every possible emotion while reading this. At times, I felt drained with sadness or with anger but Hannah always has a way of filling you up again. Her lyrical writing fully immerses you into the great Alaskan wild. Closing your eyes, you can smell the blue lupine, feel a frost burnt nose, and awe in the presence of a majestic bull moose.

The Great Alone is a love story. It encapsulates the elation and novelty of young love and nods to the importance of familial and community bonds. It is a love letter to nature and it’s wild, beautiful, and unmoored essence. Just as mirrored in nature, there is love that is rewarding and love that is unforgiving. This story serves as a powerful example of what happens when a tainted emotion can disguise and bond itself to you; morphing into something unrecognizable. Love has no rhyme or reason, and there are no rules; just like sunshine and storm clouds…just like the wilderness. In The Great Alone, our characters have to learn which love is worth fighting for and which is downright irreparable.

As strange as it maybe seem of optimistic adventurers to believe that have what it takes to survive the harshest of terrains, such as The Last Frontier, we all take that same risk when we open our hearts to another.

This is my fourth read by Kristin Hannah. She excels in stories of sorrow and resilience. She creates characters you root for and those you loathe. Her writing will undoubtedly break your heart and send you into the deepest of book hangovers. The Great Alone is a story of hope and its consequences, of liberation and great sacrifices; be it healthy or toxic. That being said, I couldn’t recommend it more.