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Jason and Brenda Everblue are two passionate souls, a trait that magnetizes them toward and away from each other. Married in Alaska with their two young children, they care deeply for each other but cannot reconcile the restlessness in Jason's spirit. He continues to yearn for a sense of self in a world that he does not see his reflection in, dissatisfied with the systems and comforts they've built for themselves. Instead, he applies to homestead a piece of land, Wildwood, on the isolated Kodiak Island. While the opportunity causes Jason's zeal for life to be reignited, Brenda feels inadequate and abandoned. When the family finally joins Jason at Wildwood, tending to their marriage becomes a matter of survival as they depend solely on each other in the face of bears, disease, poachers, and every harsh aspect of the Alaskan wilderness.
Conflict permeates this story and drives it toward a conclusion of growth and a way for the wild at heart to find some human comfort. Jason's headstrong choices are true to his beliefs and his yearning, but also selfish when viewed through the lens of not just others, but the family he helped create. The battles fought in this book, against self, society, or to preserve ideals, require a winner and a loser rather than some kind of gentle compromise. The author's prose and flair for imagery are just as masterful at describing inner tumult as they are at describing the striking scenic northern outdoors. The rotating carousel of antagonists and what they represent, along with the characters' harsh authenticity, make this story an instant classic for those who feel the call to do more than just work until retirement.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review