Something about Alaska by J. A. Cooper

Something about Alaska is a raw and gritty debut novel by South Australian author J. A. Cooper. Set in the Alaskan wilderness during a wild and unpredictable winter, this novel will draw you in and leave you spellbound by the challenging plot, the descriptiveness of the harsh landscape, and the three complex and struggling characters.

Teenager Zac Greene has made the decision to travel to Alaska to spend the Christmas break with his estranged father. Right from the beginning of the father/son interaction at the airport, the reader can feel the tension, mistrust and disconnectedness between Zac and Jim. Zac is seeking his father’s approval from the very first instance, but Jim is tough, withdrawn and surly. Nothing Zac does is right; from the clothes he wears, his life with his mum, to the way he handles the dogs and sleds.

Jim’s job is to provide a ‘real Alaska experience’ for tourists whom he takes out mushing into remote areas surrounding his home. Sadly though, he has a problem with alcohol and becomes a mean drunk. After a particularly trying experience for Zac, he is on the receiving end of Jim’s rage, and this sets the wheels in motion for a dangerous and life-threatening journey. Zac decides to somehow get to Anchorage to catch a flight home and sets off on foot in the wildest winter experienced for some time in Alaska. Along the way he reluctantly hitches a lift with gun-toting Stanley, a deeply flawed yet likeable character, and learns some valuable life lessons.

This new release is a powerful read. Full of depth and drama, the story of Zac and his life-changing journey will stay with the reader long after it is finished.

Themes: Alaska, Winter, Family Relationships, Domestic Violence, Danger, Conflict, Truth, Forgiveness.

Kathryn Beilby