Point of Direction
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4.4 • 26 Ratings
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
Hitchhiking her way through Alaska, a young woman named Anna is picked up by Kyle, a fisherman. Anna and Kyle quickly fall for each other, as they are both adventurous, fiercely independent, and in love with the raw beauty and solitude of Alaska. To cement their relationship, they agree to become caretakers of a remote lighthouse perched on a small rock in the middle of a deep channel—a place that has been uninhabited since the last caretaker mysteriously disappeared two decades ago. What seems the perfect adventure for these two quickly unravels, as closely-held secrets pull them apart, and the surrounding waters threaten uncertain danger. A psychological thriller set against the rugged landscape of coastal Alaska, Point of Direction is an exquisite literary debut.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A remote lighthouse near Juneau, Ala., serves as a crucible through which two people come to terms with their past and begin to forge a future with each other, in Weaver's sparkling debut. Anna Richard and Kyle McAllin meet when Kyle picks Anna up hitchhiking on the ALCAN Highway. They develop a relationship but share little information about themselves with each other, even after more than six months living together. When the couple decides to become caretakers for the Coast Guard owned Hibler Rock Lighthouse and sign a nine-month lease, the lighthouse's unforgiving environment, with its hard and constant work, becomes a sanctuary for one of them and a prison for the other. Weaver melds Anna's past failures and Kyle's issues with abandonment, as well as their present shared struggle, into a gripping narrative where they become like "two weak pieces tied together for strength." An impressive debut that makes brilliant use of the harsh and beautiful Alaskan seascape.
Customer Reviews
Point of Direction
Captivating! A good solid book. I enjoyed it immensely,
Extraordinary Adventure
This is an extraordinary adventure story about resilience and forgiveness and finding your way through the dark. The book centers on a remote island in Alaska, home to a lighthouse and the 2 people who chose to live there. I can see how the remoteness and isolation would tempt you to go a little nuts even if for the right reasons. A couple of the quotes from the book that I really liked:
“I will go on falling until I catch myself.”
“ … it occurs to me that life moves in patterns unless you break them.”
In some ways it reminds me of the book, “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed because it, too, was about love and loss and the courage to move forward.
This is a great read and I found it inspiring. If you like outdoor adventures and stories about forgiveness and moving forward this book is for you.
Well worth its praise
Part adventure, part mystery, part relationship book but not a romance. I have difficulty putting this book into a box. It’s unlike any book I’ve come across before. It’s raw in its emotion but far from simple. It’s a masterful weaving of place and lives. It’s sparse as a rocky island in a chilling rain but deep as the water surrounding it. The language is deliberate but flows poetically like the tidewaters.
A young couple seeking adventure and a life different from the norm become caretakers of a lighthouse that serves as both refuge and torment. Secluded on an island, surrounded by water hundreds of feet deep, far from the nearest town or any other people, they endeavor to build a life together with their hands and their backs. Though closer than two people could be, their secrets keep them at times farther apart than if they were on separate islands. Mysterious figures appear and their secrets unravel becoming either the wedge that separates them or the deliverance from that which haunts them.
You get the idea that Weaver left some part of herself on the pages. You want to wrap yourself in a blanket and sip on something hot when you read it. There is a rare honesty to the book isn’t achieved without the opening of a wound. I hope there is something left of her because I look forward to what she comes up with next.