“… in this terrible toxic knot that was their family, there was no escape for any of them.”

This was an incredibly compelling story about two broken and emotionally immature parents whose fierce loyalty(??) to and obsession with each other was ultimately their undoing, and that of their only child.

As someone who lives in a cold northern region, I found the descriptions of the Alaskan winters to be palpable- the constant darkness outside and the corresponding darkness it brings out in people.

But this book was also full of serene moments- the quiet beauty of nature and the unbreakable bonds between found family. It made me feel empty and whole at the same time, and I think this is a story that will stay with me for a long time.

**a lot of the elements of this novel felt reminiscent of the memoirs Educated (Tara Westover) and The Glass Castle (Jeannette Walls).