Amazing. Heartbreaking. Captivating. Un-Put-Down-Able (so good I had to make up a word to describe it). One of my top 5 books, I believe.
I'm actually on the library's waitlist for the Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, though they had her book The Great Alone available, so I thought I'd give it a try. Hannah tells the story from the viewpoint of 13 year old Leni Allbirght. Leni's dad, Ernt, was a Vietnam veteran and POW, left to struggle with this trauma at a time when community support was not available and the aftermath of trauma was not well understood. The Allbrights moved around frequently, trying to find somewhere that Ernt was less agitated, somehwere with less chaos and danger. Ernt moves his family, including Leni and his wife Cora, to remote Alaska, to a remote area without roads, electricity and other "necessities." However, finding peace and comfort was much more difficult than they could ever imagine.
The author describes life in Alaska and how every action is based upon the need to survive. I don't think I would make it one week in remote Alaska, let alone a week during winter. The characters describe how spring, summer and fall each last about a month. The rest is winter. Unbearable, is how I can imagine Leni and Cora felt in the beginning, but the wild grew on them. Hannah's description of the challenges, mistakes and sources of injury and death are eye-opening. The rugged terrain, the animals, the "wildness" of people trying to escape something.
One passage particularily struck me. Hannah writes from Leni's viewpoint: "They were kids, she and Matthew; no one asked their opinion or told them anything. They just had to muddle along and live in the world presented to them, confused a lot of the time because nothing made sense, but certain of their subeterranean place on the food chain." This provokes some thought, how should we as a society foster independence and autonomy for children? It's so sad that because of this "pecking order" of adults and children, Leni felt completely powerless when her family was falling apart and she was in danger. She knew what was happening wasn't okay but didn't know what to do about it. How scary this would be for anyone of us, but especially for a young girl. Also interesting that Leni describes being able to be a kid when at school (mind you, a one-room school house) but being expected to be adult working on the homestead whenever school was out, likely working harder in one day than I've worked in a year.
It was heartbreaking to read about this family unraveling at the seams, but the way Hannah wrote was captivating. She described the grip that love had on Cora and the destruction that was wrought on the family, fallout from Ernt's trauma during war, the result of the sacrifices that Ernt made at time when people looked down on him upon his return from war. It's amazing the power someone can exude, without those under the spell really being aware of that power. Hannah portrays what made Cora stay despite all the negative in their life. She also writes a story of hope and falling back on your roots. I loved that I could follow the Allbrights for over 10 years of their lives, the sorrows, the joys, the grief, the growth. I actually found that her writing struck an emotional chord within me. Hannah also provided sa great sense of resolution at the closure of the book. Truly "un-put-down-able" and now I can't wait for my name to come up on the list for The Nightingale.
I pretty much read this book wherever I was, whenever I had a few minutes or a few hours. Where do you like to read? Here's a picture of reading while enjoying the outdoors. Share in the comments your favorite reading places, and while you're at it, share with a friend and subscribe to the blog. It's super easy - to share, click "Share" at the end of this post and to subscribe, click "Subscribe" at the top right of the home page. Thanks in advance!
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