For many, Alaska is the last frontier, but for Josie and her two kids it’s the first chance to be free, to explore, to heal. Escaping from a series of emotionally damaging events, Josie takes Paul (age 8) and Anna (age 5) on a spur of the moment adventure into Alaska in a recreational vehicle that seems to barely hold itself together, much like its driver.
Through the novel, Eggers depicts a family in transition. Transition as Paul and Anna progressively take in more of their surroundings and situation, transition as their father (Josie’s ex) commits to another woman, and transition as Josie faces a crisis professionally and personally. The book handles a lot of turmoil but also a lot of exploration and adventure as they trundle through Alaska. Eggers’ writing reminded me at times of Salinger’s, with rambling, inner turmoil being verbalized for the reader as we get a glimpse (more of an extended stay, really) in Josie’s mind. Josie is far from perfect – I would go as far as to say she’s borderline self-destructive – but I think her flaws and the reality of human frailty amidst the expanse of nature’s magnitude is what Eggers is trying to illustrate.
I loved the writing and the way that Eggers depicts a restless mind. With that being said, however, I struggled with the moments of internal processing that seemed to drag on and a character that I constantly wanted to shake. Much like the conflict I felt rating Four Winds just because I didn’t like the setting, I’ve grappled with how to rate a book where I enjoyed the writing but not the characters. Maybe it’s enough to admit to this tension so you can view my rating accordingly. If you do choose to read it, I’d love to know what your rating would be.
2% Rating: 5.5/10
Recommend? Mmm… not likely, but potentially
Re-Read? Definitely not
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