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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
A lot
Domestic violence—graphic and escalating; the Alaskan wilderness has its own dangers
Language
Some
Contemporary language
Sexual Content
A lot
Romantic content for Leni; some explicit content
Substance Use
Some
Ernt's alcohol abuse as trigger for violence
Emotional Intensity
Very heavy
The domestic violence is severe and depicted directly; the Alaska setting is both beautiful and the prison; generational cycles
What this book is about
Ernt Allbright returns from Vietnam with PTSD and a plan: move his family to an off-grid Alaskan homestead. His wife Cora and daughter Leni follow him into a wilderness that is beautiful and unforgiving. The winter darkness does something to Ernt. The Great Alone is one of Kristin Hannah's darkest novels, with domestic violence as the central crisis.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Domestic violence—graphic and sustained
Ernt's alcoholism triggers abuse
Alaska wilderness—survival danger
One of Hannah's darkest—read trigger warnings
Reader Verification
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