Over the past few months, I have been trying to make a point of reading more books by Alaskan authors. I've been doing this partly to support Alaskan authors, and partly out of curiosity to see what they're writing. It's all part of my plan to educate myself as a writer without actually producing anything myself. Wait, no, that's not the way it's supposed to work....
Anyway, I've read a number of wonderful books by Alaskans. A few that I can remember right now and can recommend to you include:
- The Spanish Bow, a historical novel about a cellist and Spanish history by Andromeda Romano-Lax
- Ordinary Wolves, a novel set in the Alaska bush by Seth Kantner
- The Way Winter Comes, a collection of essays about Alaska by Sherry Simpson (not only does she have a great name, she writes what I want to write)
- The Snow Child, a fairy tale (sort of) for adults by Eowyn Ivey
- Dolls Behaving Badly, a novel set in Anchorage by Cinthia Ritchie
- Wave Dance, a mystery set in Prince William Sound by DC Douglas
I have several more books waiting on my shelves, including ones by Eva Saulitas, Kris Farmen, and others I can't remember right now. I really need to spend more time reading.
It was actually Dolls Behaving Badly that prompted me to write this post. Last June, I attended the Katchemak Bay Writers' Conference in Homer. During one of the workshops, I asked the group if they thought a book could be set in Alaska without Alaska being a major character in and of itself. It seems that in many books set in Alaska, such as the Kate Shugak series by Dana Stabenow, Alaska is such a major part that the setting cannot be separated from the plot. The group I asked seemed to think that Alaska is so foreign and exotic to most readers that it would be impossible to separate the story from the setting.
I think Cinthia Ritchie has disproven this notion. Dolls Behaving Badly is set in Anchorage, specifically Spenard. As a reader, my knowledge of the neighborhood, its history, and its reputation certainly made my enjoyment of the book richer, but by no means was that background necessary. In the telling of her story, Ritchie makes reference to local places (Cook Inlet, Kincaid Park, the Brooks Range, etc.) as well as wildlife, hunting, Native Alaskans, and so on, but by no means does one need to understand these references to follow the story, nor does one feel like one is reading a primer about Alaska. Instead, this story about a single mother creatively trying to make ends meet could be effectively set in any blue collar neighborhood. Alaska could be stripped from the story and it would work as well.
I look forward to reading Kris Farmen's The Devil's Share, as well. Kris gave me a copy of his book after I asked that question at the writers' conference. He implied that his story was an example of Alaska not being a major character. Given that his story is set in the Wrangell - St. Elias wilderness, I'm dubious, but open minded. As a lifelong Alaskan who has really limited knowledge of other places, I'd like to hope that I could write books (someday) set in Alaska which are not "Alaskana."
What books by Alaskans, whether or not they're set in Alaska, have you read and enjoyed? I'm always looking for recommendations for my bookshelves!
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Related posts: Writing for Cranes, Adventures in Writing
