THE GREAT ALONE is the latest work of Kristin Hannah, some of you may know her from her last bestseller THE NIGHTINGALE. THE GREAT ALONE is the first book I've read of hers, and I was mighty impressed by the range of emotions and depth portrayed in the story.

THE GREAT ALONE aka the last frontier aka the state of Alaska, as you read you will realize how much the title itself says about a whole community, people, and their lives. It is the story of Lenora Allbright, her parents, her neighbors, her love, her child, her strength. The story is set in the vast, wildly beautiful and extremely remote Alaska. Lenora is just a teen when she moves to Alaska with her father who's a Nam Pow returnee and her privileged born mother. In Alaska, they meet people who change their lives in the long run, like their neighbor Large Marge, the Walkers, the Harland, etc. They soon set home and grow close to the small community. Alaska tests their interpersonal relationships to the maximum and then some. Lenora grows up with mostly normal, teenager experiences with added physical labor and emotional tolls on her mind.

With parents who have a volatile, toxic relationship, neighbors who are very caring and supporting to deep, close, loving friendships; Lenora's life is pretty full. Her teenage years go by, and she grows up to experience life and experiences which a city teenager will rarely see in their lifetimes.

As things come to a boil and high between her parents, her new love and fight for a future away from hostility, Lenora is grown into a strong, beautiful young woman. She wants a different future, but she doesn't know the price she will end up paying for it.

The story shows her growth, struggles, defeats, and triumphs as she goes through heaven and hell right there with the beautiful wilderness of Alaska as her silent companion. Besides the story, you get a glimpse at life in the Alaskan small town and how it is not just the beautiful wilderness. I was fascinated at how human emotions and behavior was affected by the surroundings. How Alaska inspired and promised a land, a place where people came to forget the worst of the modern world. There was definitely a display of extremes right from the landscape, kind of people who settled or even wandered the wilds of Alaska. And it was enjoyable to see how the author incorporated all that into the lives of her characters.

The nature of Alaska's wild landscape is woven into the emotional fabric of the characters. I absolutely felt awed by the beauty, the vast differences in the men of the story just like the summer and winter of Alaska.

The emotions are portrayed beautifully, the depth and strength of human nature captured brilliantly. The reading experience had its highs and lows just like the seasons in Alaska. There were moments of joy, terror, awe, and relief, a definite plus to enjoy a story as vibrant and resilient as THE GREAT ALONE.