The Tuesday Afternoon Book Club found a perfect book for wintertime reading.  “The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah is set in Alaska in 1974.  Ernt Alllbright, a former POW comes home from the Vietnam War a changed and volatile man. When he loses another job, he makes an impulsive decision to move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the land in America’s last frontier.  

Ernt’s wife, Cora and daughter Leni, hope that a new land will lead to a better future for their family.  Cora deeply loves her husband and will go anywhere with him, even if it means following him into the unknown. Thirteen year old Leni is looking for a place to belong.

At first Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers. In a remote part of the state they meet a community of fiercely independent men and women who welcome them with advice and generosity to make up for the Albright’s lack of preparation and dwindling resources.  

But as winter approaches and darkness descends on Alaska, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates.  The small cabin becomes a nightmare.  Cora and Leni are on their own with no one to save them but themselves. 

“The Great Alone” is a story of family, love and the fight for survival on a remote frontier – a place of beauty and danger. 

The Book club members enjoyed discussing the book and recommend it as a great read.  Stop by the LeRoy Public Library soon and check it out.