E-book
The raven's gift [electronic resource] / Don Rearden.
Summary:
John Morgan and his wife can barely contain their excitement upon arriving as new teachers in a Yupik Inuit village on the windswept Alaskan tundra. Lured north in search of adventure, the idealistic couple hope to immerse themselves in the ancient Arctic culture. Their move proves disastrous when a deadly epidemic strikes and the isolated community descends into total chaos. When outside help fails to arrive, John's only hope lies in escaping the snowcovered tundra and the hunger of the other survivors. His thousand-mile trek across the Alaskan wilderness grows more improbable when he encounters a blind Inuit girl and an elderly woman. The two need his protection from those who would harm them, and he needs their knowledge of the terrain and their companionship to survive. The harsh journey and constant danger push him beyond his limits as he discovers a new sense of hope and the possibility of loving again.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780143180289 (electronic bk.)
- ISBN: 0143180282 (electronic bk.)
- Physical Description: 1 online resource.
- Publisher: Toronto : Penguin Canada, 2011.
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- Source of Description Note:
- Description based on eBook information screen.
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Electronic resources
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2013 May #1
This is part dystopian survival tale, part Jack London wilderness saga, and part Stephen King/Michael Crichtonâstyle suspense story. Holding it all together, and making this much more than a what happens when people can't defend against a massive threat exercise, is Alaska native Rearden's deep knowledge of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and the culture of the Yupik Eskimos living there. Rearden takes an adventurous, idealistic young couple (John and Anna), gives them jobs as first-year teachers, and plunks them in a tiny village in a tiny home free of all amenities. From the start, though, readers will know something is off: Why, in the scene before the couple's job interview, are an unidentified man and woman crawling through the snow, looking for signs of life? The narrative consists of three separate time linesâwhat happened before almost everyone in the village disappeared; John and Anna's first efforts to teach and adjust; and John's desperate efforts to survive and return to Anna. This narrative mix is deliberately confusing, like following tracks in the snow, and just as engrossing. Copyright 2012 Booklist Reviews.