The Barrens: A Novel of Love and Death in the Canadian Arctic by Kurt Johnson and Ellie Johnson is exactly what it says on the tin: a heartbreaking novel about a young queer woman, Lee, who endures tragedy and peril while on a canoeing expedition in the Canadian Artic. Lee and her partner, Holly, decided to spend their college summer break canoeing down the Theon river, a trip Holly had taken before in the years prior. The trip was already expected to be taxing, as Holly and Lee would experience a lack of many amenities and luxuries, isolation, wildlife, rapids, and other features of a several-week trek through the barren Canadian wilderness. However, Lee's situation soon became dire when Holly tragically fell into a ravine. Lee quickly had to adapt to Holly's death and to a land she had never visited before. Intercut with the story of Lee's survival is the story of her past, how she was raised by a demanding eco-anarchist father, how she developed her young queer identity in the Midwest, and how she and Holly began their relationship in college.

Though most of the content of the novel is divulged in the subtitle and book description, the exact breakdown of events is still thrilling, horrific, and page-turning. I raced through this novel, enjoying how Lee's story divulged and feeling her every heartbreak acutely. Not once was I taken out of the story, and I do not have a single critique of the novel.

This novel is also a fascinating collaboration between father and daughter. Kurt Johnson is, I assume, the author of the majority of the words penned in this book, however Ellie receives equal billing. She provided the inspiration and research for much of the content of the novel, as she, like Lee and Holly, is a queer woman who took the canoeing trip herself a few years ago. Ellie's experience and Kurt's prose make for an extremely vivid, realistic, and unique work of art.

Thank you, Arcade Publishing and NetGalley, for providing this early release copy in exchange for my review.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to Netgalley.

2.5* rounded up. I honestly expected more of an exciting story of love, loss and survival from this book judging by the premise, but for the majority of time it felt like a monotonous diary-like tale.

Everything is told from Lee's point of view so we get very little insight on Holly's own perspective and thoughts. We don't really get any background on their relationship. How they formed an emotional connection, what attracted them to each other in the first place, what made them trust each other, what made Holly, being the more experienced one, go on such a long and ambitious journey underprepared and with someone who had zero experience, what made Lee overcome her fear from the fast streams and how did she eventually turn into a "whitewater junkie"? Those were some of the questions that I didn't get answers to and as a result didn't connect with any of the characters.

The writing style is simplistic, with a lot of telling and not enough showing, the dialogue between the two main characters is mostly nonexistent.

I am always captivated by a great adventure narrative, heavy on adrenaline and scenery, a strong sense of place. In The Barrens the love story was sweet (albeit tragic) but the adventure and sense of place was lighter than I’d hoped.

4.5 stars. This was more emotional than I anticipated, but it so well done.

An adventure story with suspense and much self reflection by the main character. This will entertain and set the reader to their own reflection.