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A review by husnaibrahim_
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
2.25
This book was beautifully written. Those little details, and the way Alaska is woven into the story, it’s like Alaska’s a character itself. It’s beautiful. The relationship between Leni and her mom, that’s beautiful too. Their resilience in the face of what they went through was also beautiful to see. All these are just a few of the many things that makes this book beautiful, yet they couldn’t completely rescue where the story was headed.
Let’s begin with the setting, which was undoubtedly well-described. But it became somewhat repetitive and kind of drawn out. As I mentioned, it felt like the description of Alaska itself was competing for page space with the main characters. It wouldn’t have been an issue if the mcs had a stronger presence when we experienced their povs, but that wasn’t the case.
Now, about Leni, she grows during the story, no doubt. But I kind of wished she had more layers. Because her character just seemed to lack depth. She appeared somewhat one-dimensional. If you strip away the connection she had with her environment, there’s not a ton left to her character.
And her mom, I got frustrated with her at times. She endured a lot, perhaps too much, but it’s realistic considering she got pregnant and married young, right after high school. I mean It’s not unusual for someone in her situation to lack the motivation to escape. It’s like an old-school abuse situation, you know? So even though it was hard to like her at times, especially when she was going on about how he used to be so “good” and how now was the time to “love him back to health”, I got where she was coming from.
Now, setting aside these things I’ve mentioned, here’s the big problem - there’s no breather. I mean, for the characters and for us readers. We are continually pulled from one dramatic event to another, often with little time for processing it all. Many of these events could and should have been preventable, obviously with the father at the center of it all. Initially, it was easy to feel sympathy for the father due to his PTSD, but then the story suddenly takes this dark turn.
I think it would have worked well with just his PTSD as a central issue. With his extreme reactions, then that becomes heavy. Which would have been fine in any other book but this one. Then there’s the fact that Leni ends up in a seemingly perfect and convenient romance in the middle of everything. Which doesn’t quite fit the boy’s family or background btw. I think the only time I felt some sort of relief or hope was whenever the community, especially the women, rallied behind them. It definitely was nice to see.
Finally, the end, so much stuff happens all at once, it’s a whirlwind. It’s tough to go through, especially after the rollercoaster in the middle of the book. It’s like, this book is beautiful, no doubt. But its “issues” seemed too perfectly constructed, making it challenging not to become kind of mad. It felt like I was meant to be upset, traumatized, and angry, which left me frustrated because it all seemed a bit too neat, if you know what I mean.
I know I might develop a different opinion in a few days or weeks, but for now, I can’t say I liked it all that much.
Let’s begin with the setting, which was undoubtedly well-described. But it became somewhat repetitive and kind of drawn out. As I mentioned, it felt like the description of Alaska itself was competing for page space with the main characters. It wouldn’t have been an issue if the mcs had a stronger presence when we experienced their povs, but that wasn’t the case.
Now, about Leni, she grows during the story, no doubt. But I kind of wished she had more layers. Because her character just seemed to lack depth. She appeared somewhat one-dimensional. If you strip away the connection she had with her environment, there’s not a ton left to her character.
And her mom, I got frustrated with her at times. She endured a lot, perhaps too much, but it’s realistic considering she got pregnant and married young, right after high school. I mean It’s not unusual for someone in her situation to lack the motivation to escape. It’s like an old-school abuse situation, you know? So even though it was hard to like her at times, especially when she was going on about how he used to be so “good” and how now was the time to “love him back to health”, I got where she was coming from.
Now, setting aside these things I’ve mentioned, here’s the big problem - there’s no breather. I mean, for the characters and for us readers. We are continually pulled from one dramatic event to another, often with little time for processing it all. Many of these events could and should have been preventable, obviously with the father at the center of it all. Initially, it was easy to feel sympathy for the father due to his PTSD, but then the story suddenly takes this dark turn.
I think it would have worked well with just his PTSD as a central issue. With his extreme reactions, then that becomes heavy. Which would have been fine in any other book but this one. Then there’s the fact that Leni ends up in a seemingly perfect and convenient romance in the middle of everything. Which doesn’t quite fit the boy’s family or background btw. I think the only time I felt some sort of relief or hope was whenever the community, especially the women, rallied behind them. It definitely was nice to see.
Finally, the end, so much stuff happens all at once, it’s a whirlwind. It’s tough to go through, especially after the rollercoaster in the middle of the book. It’s like, this book is beautiful, no doubt. But its “issues” seemed too perfectly constructed, making it challenging not to become kind of mad. It felt like I was meant to be upset, traumatized, and angry, which left me frustrated because it all seemed a bit too neat, if you know what I mean.
I know I might develop a different opinion in a few days or weeks, but for now, I can’t say I liked it all that much.