Almost everyone knows at least one person who, as a young individual, either by choice or by draft, had to serve in the Vietnam War. It was a war of many atrocities that left most every soldier with severe repercussions…..from which they are never able to escape. It might be flash backs, nightmares, sensitivity to loud noises, any number of reactions. And those reactions were responsible for the deterioration and collapse of many who served, and in turn, their families suffered also. Author, Kristin Hannah, has captured the emotional roller coaster of one such family in her latest book, The Great Alone.

The novel follows the story of a thirteen year old girl, Leni Allbright, whose father is a Vietnam War veteran, and who has suffered the changes in his personality and demeanor after returning from the conflict. Her Dad, Ernt, was a happy, smiling man who gave everything to his family…….that was before he went to Vietnam. Now, he is angry, disconnected, and just plain crazy at times, and it is only getting worse. When a fellow soldier, who is deceased, leaves him a piece of property in Alaska, Ernt begs his wife, Cora, to move to Alaska. He thinks moving off-grid will be the solution to all of his (what we now know as) PTSD symptoms. She has been the observer, but also the victim of his angry outbursts, so she is willing to try anything to get their old, happy life back. The thing about Alaska is that it can be so beautiful, peaceful, and serene……..or…… unpredictable, unforgiving, and untamed, and for a family in extreme crisis……a true test of survival.

For Leni, things seemed unbelievably calm and much better, at first. But then, as the days became many hours of darkness, so was the mood of her dad. There were many nice and helpful people in the remote community of Kaneq, but there were others who were bad influences on her unstable dad. With the long, dark winter, came the brutal, dangerous Alaska. One for which the Allbright family was not prepared. Their tiny cabin and cluttered property was almost more than they could handle. It really was not the perfect place for any of their family, especially Ernt, who was among the soldiers who gave everything they had to the war, and came back to a world where many of them could not function, and the rest of the world community had no idea how to help them. The Great Alone tells Leni’s story of the burdens she grows up with, her strong emotional ties to her mother, and despite all the battering that life handed her, a tale of love and hope. War has extreme consequences of damage for the suffering families. Kristin Hannah explains all the emotions and consequences in this, her latest book.

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