The Great Alone

1974 in Alaska.

Not dependable. Intolerant. Enraged.

The last chance for a family in peril to survive.

Former Prisoner of War Ernt Allbright returns from the Vietnam War a different, unstable man. He takes a snap decision after losing yet another job: he will relocate his family to Alaska, the only remaining genuine frontier in America, and live off the grid there.

Leni, 13, is a girl coming of age during a turbulent period of time. She is caught in the turbulent, passionate relationship between her parents and dares to dream that moving to a new place would provide a brighter future for her family. She is in severe need of belonging. If it means trailing her beloved into the unknown, Cora, her mother, will stop at nothing to be with him.

Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers at first. They discover a fiercely independent group of strong men and equally powerful women in a wild, isolated part of the state. The Allbrights' lack of planning and depleting supplies are compensated for by the long, sunny days and the kindness of the people.

However, Ernt's precarious mental condition deteriorates and the family starts to fall apart as winter draws near and darkness spreads over Alaska. Before long, the dangers outside are nothing compared to the ones within. Leni and her mother discover the awful reality that they are alone in their little hut throughout the course of eighteen hours of the night as it is snowing outside. They are on their own to rescue themselves in the wild.

In this unforgettable portrait of human frailty and resilience, Kristin Hannah reveals the indomitable character of the modern American pioneer and the spirit of a vanishing Alaska―a place of incomparable beauty and danger. The Great Alone is a brave, beautiful, stay-up-all-night tale about love and sorrow, the struggle for existence, and the inherent wildness in both the natural world and humans.