This one is hard for me, I read it at the recommendation of a friend, and I did not NOT like it. I loved the setting and how much Alaska was sort of its own character in the story. I liked following the family and their struggles, and how the small town bands together and supports each other, even though it was dark and upsetting a lot of the time. The relationships between characters were complex and really well done. 

Where the book lost me really was

at the end, after they’ve gone through all the trauma. They had this awesome mom-daughter moment where they kill dad and drop him in the lake, then rather than having a time of reception and joy, they had to inflict MORE trauma by leaving and staying away. THEN the mom gets cancer and dies before Leni can have a “happy ending.”

At that point it just felt like too much and made it hard to enjoy. 

This was upsetting, it made me sob, it made me angry, but overall it is a good book, it’s just not one you read if you want something light or happy.