Zac’s dad believes in ‘tough love’. He says ‘only the tough survive’ but you can’t fight everything that Alaska keeps throwing at you. You have to let it shape you. And there’s no going alone. But that’s a tough lesson for anyone to learn, let alone a 15-year-old boy.
Zac is excited about having the opportunity of spending some time with his dad over Christmas in Alaska. But not everything lives up to his expectations and after only a week, he is left wondering why nothing he does seems to measure up to his dad’s expectations. Taking six of his dad’s best huskies out sledging for a good long run seems like a good idea, but when things go awry, all Zac wants to do is to go home to San Diego. Setting out in subzero temperatures could kill Zac, but accepting a lift with a crazy-looking stranger with a rifle in his Dodge is really asking for trouble. His parents warned him about accepting lifts, but Zac has no choice, right?
Something About Alaska is ultimately a book that explores the complexity of relationships – with each other and the wilderness. It is an evocative novel about a young boy’s struggle to find himself and reconcile his relationship with his father.
This book packs a punch. It is a gripping and skillfully written adventure about a teenage boy’s getting of wisdom that keeps you engaged right to the last page.
Reviewed by Karen Williams
Age Guide 14+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Years ago, James Cooper travelled the world over and once spent three months tending sled dogs in Alaska. His work as a teacher took him from southern England to the remote Australian outback, and he completed his Ph.D. while living in a tin shed on 40 acres.
Nowadays, his adventures mostly take place on the page. He loves reading and writing poetry and stories that reveal the extraordinary in the ordinary, and his work has appeared in such journals as Dappled Things, Light Poetry Magazine, and Quadrant (forthcoming). He is Senior Editor of inScribe journal and teaches writing and communication at Adelaide’s Tabor College.
James counts himself blessed to live in the Adelaide Hills with his wife and two sons. Something About Alaska is his first novel.
0 Comments