A review by fulltimefiction
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

4.0

“Books are the mile markers of my life. Some people have family photos or home movies to record their past. I’ve got books. Characters. For as long as I can remember, books have been my safe place.”

I usually listen to audiobooks to books I want to read but can’t bring myself to. Mostly adult fiction. I decided to listen to the audiobook of this one because I enjoyed [b:The Nightingale|21853621|The Nightingale|Kristin Hannah|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1598993363l/21853621._SY75_.jpg|41125521] but I’m never in the mood for such a read. Or so I thought. I only once switched from audio to book (and it was a mystery book) but this is the first time I continue the book because I want to be there. Completely. Experience what the characters are feeling. Share their heartache. See Alaska. And although I love audiobooks, they do not have the same magical feeling of reading. And this book in particular had a distinctive setting, this is the first book I read that is set in Alaska and I didn’t want to miss a thing.

The Great Alone is a deeply moving story about a family of three. Leni, our main character. Cora, her mother. And Ernt, the POW in Vietnam, which scarred him and brought the worst in him. The love between the parents is toxic and messed up. Although Cora was hit, repeatedly, she loved Ernt too much to do anything about it. Most of the time, Ernt apologized later and he said “this is the last time” but of course, it never is. Refusing to get help for his degrading mental health, he took it on his wife... mostly.

“Love and fear. The most destructive forces on earth. Fear had turned her inside out, love had made her stupid.”

Domestic violence is one of the main topics handled in this book. Many women do not speak up. Mostly because of fear. But there are some cases too just like Cora, hoping she’ll get the man she loved back, convincing themselves of his promises, believing the lies, but also because they do not trust the judicial body to keep them away from them once locked up. While I was certainly frustrated by Cora’s refusal to leave him, if not at least to have a better life for her daughter, I didn’t hate her character. I loved most characters and hated well, you can guess, Ernt.

I grew to care so much about those characters, Leni, Large Marge, Cora, Mathew, Tom, and so many others. It’s very rare for me to get attached to secondary characters too. Everyone needs some like Large Marge in their life, she is a supportive and smart character who always takes care of her beloved ones.

“He taught her something new about friendship: it picked right back up where you’d left off, as if you hadn’t been apart at all.”

Another thing I absolutely loved was the Alaskan setting. I was surprised by how Hannah vividly described life there, in the great alone (and this title fits the book perfectly). The cold, the hardships, the homestead, the living essentials, well basically everything. I felt like this was written by a firsthand witness. And I was pleased to read later in the acknowledgments that the author has spent several years of her life living in Alaska.

“... home was not just a cabin in a deep woods that overlooked a placid cove. Home was a state of mind, the peace that came from being who you were and living an honest life.”

I haven’t read much historical fiction this year like I’m used to but certainly, this book was the best. Mind you, it’s not perfect. I sometimes felt that the heartache was too much, but thankfully, the ending was better than the Nightingale’s which was very much overdone. Some choices of the characters also irritated me but since I’m keeping this completely spoiler-free, I won’t elaborate further. This book was told over several periods of time but not in a flashback style. Also, needless to say, that the writing was beautiful and sucked you in so that you were there. Part of the story.

A note on the audiobook: it was actually well narrated. The voice of the narrator suited the story and it wasn’t boring by any means. I enjoyed listening to the book but it was also something that I’d rather read regardless of how good of an audio it is. I will be listening to the Book of Lost Names, probably. I haven’t decided yet but if it’s anything like the Nightingale and the Great Alone, I’d rather read it. Now, I'm more curious about Hannah's novels and books set in cold Alaska.

Still, I felt so much reading this book. Love, hate, anger (at one point I wanted to throw my kindle but thankfully the event I expected didn’t happen), sadness, happiness, and much more. I haven’t read a book that left me so raw in a while. I was constantly finding myself like an outsider this year to the story even if I like it. I’m very glad this wasn’t the case in this book. I lived with those characters and I’m happy I finally read it. A good ending to 2020.