Scan barcode
A review by floralvinyls
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
2.5
i had such high hopes after the nightingale, but something about this book just didn't work imo.
i get that this is set in the 70s and psychotherapy was even more stigmatized than it is now, but come on. ernt was severely traumatized and instead of putting a stop to his antics, the townspeople just kept on not doing anything, when it was crystal clear that cora was not able to save herself and leni from him. that part was so frustrating and i feel like in order to be consistent with their characterization, all those death threats towards ernt should have stopped being threats. things in this book tend to happen (or not happen) for the plot only, not because it is particularly realistic.
another reviewer also said this reads like trauma porn, and i have to agree. every possible bad thing happens in this book, which quickly becomes very predicable, but i also makes it even more unbelievable that the author tried to have it end in a happily-ever-after-way.i'm not a neurologist, but i do study psychology and i don't think it's realistic to recover from severe brain damage followed by a medically induced coma after two years and be practically back to normal after a couple more. maybe i'm wrong, idk.
i get that this is set in the 70s and psychotherapy was even more stigmatized than it is now, but come on. ernt was severely traumatized and instead of putting a stop to his antics, the townspeople just kept on not doing anything, when it was crystal clear that cora was not able to save herself and leni from him. that part was so frustrating and i feel like in order to be consistent with their characterization, all those death threats towards ernt should have stopped being threats. things in this book tend to happen (or not happen) for the plot only, not because it is particularly realistic.
another reviewer also said this reads like trauma porn, and i have to agree. every possible bad thing happens in this book, which quickly becomes very predicable, but i also makes it even more unbelievable that the author tried to have it end in a happily-ever-after-way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, and Pregnancy