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lkkirk75's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
yulannu's review against another edition
4.0
I stopped reading thrillers when I turned 15 and never felt the urge to pick them up again. I prefer stories that go to places that most people pretend don’t exist, where good is worse than evil and morals become just another flesh to be feasted on out in the wild. I didn’t expect much from this book. I certainly didn’t expect to be captivated by one of the characters. I am happy to say that I was wrong.
I became interested in Vernon Slone, shortly after he stepped into the story. By the time the plot unfolded I was mesmerized with this alpha-male-antihero. He was the wolf pushed to the edge by the civilization that is proud of its own manufactured values.
It felt immensely satisfying to see the civilization marginalized, to watch its feeble attempt to contain the animal, to dominate the indifferent nature and fail.
I became interested in Vernon Slone, shortly after he stepped into the story. By the time the plot unfolded I was mesmerized with this alpha-male-antihero. He was the wolf pushed to the edge by the civilization that is proud of its own manufactured values.
It felt immensely satisfying to see the civilization marginalized, to watch its feeble attempt to contain the animal, to dominate the indifferent nature and fail.
shannarchy's review against another edition
2.0
If you like gratuitous violence and obscenity, this might be the book for you. Don't get me wrong, I am not a prude, but this book was disturbing at best. It started with a lot of potential but got more violent and more obscene as the book went on. Slone's violence seems to have no real role other than proving just how fucked up his life had become. The inclusion of incest is probably more disturbing than the constant blood lust included in the book. A child born of twins leaves no real mystery as to why a mother kills her child.
This book serves no real purpose other than to entertain those who have some sort of sadomasochistic desire to read about death and obscenity. Even if you can stand the themes of the book, the mysticism is based in no reality and seemingly has been pulled from the ass of the author who failed to research indigenous tradition and life. If you want native tradition and mysticism pick up a book by an author from the culture. The blatant use of half truths and stereotypes sours the book further. The writer's over-reliance on a thesaurus and poor metaphor does nothing to redeem the unsettling nature of the story.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone I know, but some people have clearly enjoyed it. If you want the positives of this book then seek out a five star reviewer.
This book serves no real purpose other than to entertain those who have some sort of sadomasochistic desire to read about death and obscenity. Even if you can stand the themes of the book, the mysticism is based in no reality and seemingly has been pulled from the ass of the author who failed to research indigenous tradition and life. If you want native tradition and mysticism pick up a book by an author from the culture. The blatant use of half truths and stereotypes sours the book further. The writer's over-reliance on a thesaurus and poor metaphor does nothing to redeem the unsettling nature of the story.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone I know, but some people have clearly enjoyed it. If you want the positives of this book then seek out a five star reviewer.
kyleofbooks's review against another edition
1.0
I honestly don't care enough to fully explain my low rating. All you need to know is that I thought I was going to read a novel about a man sent to track and hunt the wolves that were taking children from a remote Alaskan village...
...but this was not that book.
There is a huge shift in plot, where Hold the Dark essentially becomes an uninteresting and generic crime novel. I was eager to read about the harsh Alaskan terrain; the mythos and mystery surrounding those far-reaching and desolate places... and I got a bit of that, sure- The people on the periphery: the unknowable and forgotten ones, surviving in the cold, unrelenting wilderness. But it wasn't enough to distract from the cluster-f*ck of bad.
Give me bleak. Give me Cormac McCarthy vibes. Give me mystery. But give me, too, characters to root for, a story that makes sense, and violence that's not senseless.
...but this was not that book.
There is a huge shift in plot, where Hold the Dark essentially becomes an uninteresting and generic crime novel. I was eager to read about the harsh Alaskan terrain; the mythos and mystery surrounding those far-reaching and desolate places... and I got a bit of that, sure- The people on the periphery: the unknowable and forgotten ones, surviving in the cold, unrelenting wilderness. But it wasn't enough to distract from the cluster-f*ck of bad.
Give me bleak. Give me Cormac McCarthy vibes. Give me mystery. But give me, too, characters to root for, a story that makes sense, and violence that's not senseless.
raven88's review against another edition
5.0
Three children have been snatched by wolves in the small Alaskan community of Keelut, including the six-year old son of Medora and Vernon Sloane. Wolf expert Russell is called upon to investigate and track the pack responsible, but soon begins to see into the dark psyche of Medora. When her husband Vernon returns from a desert war to discover the boy dead and Medora missing, he begins his own pursuit of his errant wife, across the frozen wastes and with much violence along the way. As Core attempts to intercede in the inevitable collision of husband and wife, he unwittingly unveils a dark secret that exists between them…
During the recent cold snap here in the UK, it seemed entirely appropriate to be reading a novel set in the frozen wastes of the Alaskan tundra. This is a cold, grim and unrelentingly miserable read, but for the most part, I rather enjoyed this grief- filled and violent tale.
Drawing heavily on the naturalistic writing tradition of American literature, Giraldi has produced not only a compelling crime novel, but also one that encompasses a careful study of the human condition. Indeed, at one point in the book there is a direct reference to how to understand the very essence of human nature and behaviour, we should look to the woods and not to the books, and how “the annals of human wisdom fall silent when faced with the feral in us.” There is a primeval simplicity at the heart of the book, as we bear witness to the violence meted out by the Sloanes. With the interweaving of Vernon’s active service abroad, and his pursuit of his wife (taking no prisoners along the way), the central credo of base human emotion drawing on our wilder animalistic instincts comes to the fore throughout. It’s a fascinating psychological study, and although the vast majority of the characters are inherently dislikeable, there is much to be learned and enjoyed about the more base emotions that the characters exhibit in this brutal tale.
Giraldi’s depiction of the wildness of his characters, sits perfectly alongside his portrayal of this unique and bleak location, where everybody’s existence is dictated to by the exacting weather conditions and landscape of this inhospitable place. The community itself exists on the folklore and superstitions of generations past that continue to influence the character’s lives and calling on the spirits of their ancestors to direct their own paths and to deflect evil. There is a sense of other-worldliness throughout the book as we discover the ancient traditions of this society, and set against the vibrant depiction and understanding of the natural world that surrounds them, the folkloric aspect of the book is entirely satisfying.
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who was held spellbound by Daniel Woodrell’s Winter’s Bone, and books of that ilk. I was also much heartened to see an endorsement by Tim O’Brien, a master of the Vietnam fiction genre, as the passages in Hold The Dark dealing solely with Vernon’s army service are powerfully wrought indeed. As I said it’s not a life-affirming or particularly hopeful read, and the sudden bursts of brutal violence are not for all, but I liked it. Very much.
During the recent cold snap here in the UK, it seemed entirely appropriate to be reading a novel set in the frozen wastes of the Alaskan tundra. This is a cold, grim and unrelentingly miserable read, but for the most part, I rather enjoyed this grief- filled and violent tale.
Drawing heavily on the naturalistic writing tradition of American literature, Giraldi has produced not only a compelling crime novel, but also one that encompasses a careful study of the human condition. Indeed, at one point in the book there is a direct reference to how to understand the very essence of human nature and behaviour, we should look to the woods and not to the books, and how “the annals of human wisdom fall silent when faced with the feral in us.” There is a primeval simplicity at the heart of the book, as we bear witness to the violence meted out by the Sloanes. With the interweaving of Vernon’s active service abroad, and his pursuit of his wife (taking no prisoners along the way), the central credo of base human emotion drawing on our wilder animalistic instincts comes to the fore throughout. It’s a fascinating psychological study, and although the vast majority of the characters are inherently dislikeable, there is much to be learned and enjoyed about the more base emotions that the characters exhibit in this brutal tale.
Giraldi’s depiction of the wildness of his characters, sits perfectly alongside his portrayal of this unique and bleak location, where everybody’s existence is dictated to by the exacting weather conditions and landscape of this inhospitable place. The community itself exists on the folklore and superstitions of generations past that continue to influence the character’s lives and calling on the spirits of their ancestors to direct their own paths and to deflect evil. There is a sense of other-worldliness throughout the book as we discover the ancient traditions of this society, and set against the vibrant depiction and understanding of the natural world that surrounds them, the folkloric aspect of the book is entirely satisfying.
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who was held spellbound by Daniel Woodrell’s Winter’s Bone, and books of that ilk. I was also much heartened to see an endorsement by Tim O’Brien, a master of the Vietnam fiction genre, as the passages in Hold The Dark dealing solely with Vernon’s army service are powerfully wrought indeed. As I said it’s not a life-affirming or particularly hopeful read, and the sudden bursts of brutal violence are not for all, but I liked it. Very much.
tashabye's review against another edition
4.0
Very well-done, dark and atmospheric. The writing was good and engaged me with some page-turning moments. Throughout I felt it would be a 5 star read but the ending brought it down a bit.
nadyne's review against another edition
3.0
What a grim book with desolate characters and a desolate landscape (also a character). I have mixed feelings about this.
pinknantucket's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this - it is strange, and atmospheric, and compelling - but at the end of it I found myself strangely puzzled about what it was for. I didn't really understand why some of the characters did what they did - I could see round the edges of them, but perhaps their "core" was just too far away from my experience to properly imagine. I was disappointed there weren't more actual wolves. But don't let that stop you.
My copy: lent to me by a friend.
My copy: lent to me by a friend.