Northern Lights

by Tim O'Brien

A CLASSIC FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE THINGS THEY CARRIED

Originally published in 1975, Tim O'Brien's debut novel demonstrates the emotional complexity and enthralling narrative tension that later earned him the National Book Award. At its core is the relationship between two one who went to Vietnam and one who stayed at home. As the two brothers struggle against an unexpected blizzard in Minnesota's remote north woods, what they discover about themselves and each other will change both of them for ever.

Genres: Fiction, War, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Literature, Book Club, Historical

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Tim O'Brien is an American novelist who served as a soldier in the Vietnam War. Much of his writing is about wartime Vietnam, and his work later in life often explores the postwar lives of its veterans.
O'Brien is perhaps best known for his book The Things They Carried (1990), a collection of linked semi-autobiographical stories inspired by his wartime experiences. In 2010, The New York Times described it as "a classic of contemporary war fiction." O'Brien wrote the war novel, Going After Cacciato (1978), which was awarded the National Book Award.
O'Brien taught creative writing, holding the endowed chair at the MFA program of Texas State University–San Marcos every other academic year from 2003 to 2012.

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do people talk like that? Do they restate and re-phrase and repeat with that consistency? Do they communicate the same basic ideas over and over? Do people duplicate their prose the way almost every character in Northern Lights does? What I'm asking is, do people repeat themselves the way these characters do, in their speech, their writing, even their internal monologues?

Maybe. Maybe we repeat ourselves all the time and don't realize. And maybe we hide our most important thoughts to the point that even an omniscient, third-person narration of our lives would omit seemingly critical details.

Northern Lights isn't awful, but it is annoying in an interesting way. It's the sort of story that tries to show us something about ourselves that might not appeal. So what can we learn from a boring husband who routinely dismisses his boring wife and the boring wife who just keeps coming back earnest as ever? What can we learn from a clever-but-tedious veteran who chases after a clever-but-tedious girl? What can we learn from the mysterious war-wound that is never explained or the climactic ski-trip disaster that ultimately changes nothing?

Do we learn that we are too quick to dismiss mundane people and mundane events? Or maybe that we aren't as clever as we think we are? Or that real life defies climax and resolution? Maybe. But maybe it's enough to think about the sentence you just spoke (or wrote, or thought) and wonder 'am I repeating myself?' Am I repeating myself?

Edited 3/2/2019

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book can pretty much be summed up in one word - anticlimatic. I spent the entire time I was reading Northern Lights wondering when the "spellbinding suspense" the Chicago Times Review on the front cover raved about would occur and was disheartened when I reached the end of the novel and it never had. I mean, the characters are likeable enough and the plot has potential... it just goes nowhere. The whole story pretty much consists of Perry and Harvey skiing and sleeping and being cold or hot or sick. Nothing happens to make anything exciting or suspenseful.

[Sean Owen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a Tim O'Brien fan and this is the first book of his that I didn't like. It's also an early book and clearly, he improved. Not a lot happens and even what does actually happen sort of just occurs and doesn't really change anything. There are a handful of main characters and we only really ever get to know one of them and he's so internally confused that we don't really know much about him. There are some great scenes of the north woods of Minnesota, but Northern Lights feels like a rough sketch of an actual book.

[Caitlin Magness · Rating 2 out of 5]

Painfully repetitive prose and weird, unlikable characters somehow still succeed in a powerful subversion of wilderness survival tropes. A good exercise for the mind, not so good for the soul.

[Benjamin Rubenstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was as though nothing had changed or ever would change, and partly she was right. In the winter, in the blizzard, there had been no sudden revelation, and things were the same, no epiphany or sudden shining of light to awaken and comfort and make happy, and things were the same, the old man was still down there alive in his grave, frozen and not dead, and in the house the cold was always there, except for patience and Grace and the pond, which were the same, everything the same. Harvey was quiet. Like twin oxen struggling in different directions against the same old yoke, they could not talk, for there was only the long history: the town, the place, the forest and religion, partly a combination of human beings and events, partly a genetic fix, an alchemy of circumstance.

That's how I felt once I finished reading this debut novel by Tim O'Brien: like the characters didn't--and couldn't--change, like the war one fought in and the same war the other didn't fight in stymied their ability to experience happiness and growth. Or maybe they could feel happy and grow if they were to share their thoughts and feelings, as if just releasing the words into the universe would free them. But alas, they couldn't, they would rather die than say such things aloud.

One way this book impressed me was how quickly it could shift the mood, because just three pages earlier I lost a tear after reading this:

He did not talk about the long days of being lost. The same way he never talked about the war, or how he lost his eye, or other bad things. He would not talk about it. “Yes, we’ll go to Nassau,” he would say instead. “Where it’s warm. By God, we’ll have us a lovely time, won’t we? Buy a sailboat and sail the islands, see the sights, sleep at night on the beaches. Doesn’t it sound great?”

That passage led me to consider that I'd allowed myself to forget that many years ago I endured near-death treatment in order to prevent certain death from illness. And if I did allow myself to forget that, then I thus deprived myself of fully being alive. And if I deprived myself of fully being alive, then I must now fully awaken--at least, this is what I thought immediately after tearing--I must put the book down and drive to go hang with my girlfriend, because that would be the most lively thing I could do.

...But then just three pages later, I read the first passage above, and realized that just living for the rush of liveliness the way Harvey was living during the time of that second passage was really just a way to stay stuck, to not grow, to not seek real happiness. And then I continued reading to the end, and now I feel entirely content writing this review on a Friday night.

My, how fleeting thoughts and feelings can be; my, the power of stories.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is O'Brien's first novel, written in 1975. A brother to brother drama set in rural Minnesota. Paul's the brother that stayed home and Harvey is the one that went to war. He comes back injured. The story is how the two brothers and come back together. To bond, they go off on a cross-country skiing adventure that turns dangerous. I can see a great writer learning his craft. And although, I didn't really like the way he developed some of his characters (especially the women), its ultimately a really good read.

8/10

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book saved by the last third. I struggled with the first 120 pages before I fell into the rhythm of the story. The repetition became less obvious and less obtrusive. I liked Paul’s slow and subtle transformation and struggled with Harvey’s. The ending felt simultaneously sad and hopeful.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Holy God was this terrible. I’m shocked that this was written by the same guy who did Cacciato and Lake in the Woods and The Things They Carried. I loved those works so much that I decided I would read everything by him and jumped at this book when I saw it at a used book shop, knowing nothing about it. Granted, it was his first work and he probably had to hone his voice/skills. But my goodness is this bad.

Pat myself on the back for finishing it. I completely understand all these reviews on here where people say they cast it aside after 50 or 100 pages. I just thought it had to get better, had to go somewhere, that Tim O’Brien couldn’t possibly write a book that didn’t develop and evolve as the pages unfolded. It got to the point where I was speed-reading, just letting my eyes scan over the sentences, skimming the dialogue, skipping the second half of paragraphs that started with nothing and weren’t moving on.

Everything was so repetitive! I could skim and fly through and not worry about missing anything because everything was repeated 20 times! The dialogue was terrible, characters repeating things over and over within a page, within a single speech! The narration was repetitive… The writing was boring, slow, devoid of any action, suspense or plot. It’s like O’Brien was attempting for Hemingway-style understatement – “Harvey stared resolutely at the snowed-in football field. They were jumping and exercising and the loudspeakers called out the starting lineups. Grace unfolded a blanked and draped it across everyone’s knees. The bleachers were full of people. The whole town was there. The band played the Sawmill Landing fight song and everyone stood. Perry’s glasses steamed over.” – I mean WTF? Short, choppy sentences, but with no gravitas, no huge meaning underneath the understatement, just bland, declarative crap. Or the dialogue – “You don’t remember me getting that rifle? I can’t… That, I can’t understand. Thought sure you remembered it. You were laughing at me. You saw how scared I was. The old man… he never saw it. You saw it. You remember? And I… don’t you remember? Don’t know why. You remember now? That damn rifle. You started laughing. You asked to see my new rifle. You don’t remember?” This is a tiny quote from a speech that went on for three whole pages. Harvey asks about the stupid rifle for multiple pages, repeating almost verbatim… And for what? Is this a huge point of emphasis? Symbolism? Not that I can tell. And this type of repetition happens with all characters, throughout the whole book, not just this one scene for emphasis.

The characters were bland and not at all realistic. Why not do more with the returning war vet and his demons? His drinking his mentioned but nothing ever comes of it. He never grows or changes, none of the other characters ever really make an impact with him/it. The two female characters are about as flat as they come. I don’t buy Grace for a second. She’s treated like shit but acts like the perfect little “What can I do for you” housewife… but yet she’s not some Mad Men era mother, she’s a professional, a teacher… and Addie makes no sense whatsoever. What’s her role? She’s just there, flirting with Harvey when he’s being stupid and running away when he’s being serious.

And the plot!?!?!? There is none! The first 100 pages are so boring. Nothing happens. At least there’s the hint of something with Harvey returning from war and re-embedding himself in society… but that never develops into the main focus. Instead, the two brothers go up to a ski competition and decide to si home. That’s the next 200 pages. So slow, long, boring… and after that whole thing when they get back, the story moves on like nothing. Any excitement from Grace when they return? Addie? A bigger scene after all that? The two brothers do or say or learn anything? No. The end.

The cover of my version has a blurb that says “The suspense is spellbinding.” Sorry, Chicago Sun-Times, but your writer needs a punch in the face, because this book does not contain one iota of suspense. I’m all about character-driven dramas; I don’t need to have crazy-action plot and twists and all. I actually prefer my stories character-driven, life-examining, the psychological analysis of individuals and relationships and why people do what they do. I’d take a Richard Russo over a James Patterson or Brad Meltzer any day. But this has none of that. I was planning on reading all of O’Brien’s works. Now I’m wondering if I should continue on. I’d like to give him the benefit of the doubt, knowing this was his first work and seeing how he went on to win the National Book Award and a shot at a Pulitzer. But I can’t believe this book was published.

[Kate Holwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4/70!) this book reminds me of a short story that I read in high school about a father and a son that go fishing; so good

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the complexities between the characters and the accuracy that is revealed in a character book (no real plot suspension) in which the characters do not much change or grow.

I did not like Grace. I found her too "mother-y" (yeah, yeah the missing father called her "someone's mother" when she was just a college girl and she is an elementary school teacher and we are constantly reminded that she wants a baby), even though that is her central core. In the opening scene I thought she treated Perry almost as if he was mentally handicapped and her repeated "now, let me rub you," and "poor baby" selfless maternal babblings were just nauseating.

I was also frequently bothered by the repetitions in the text. There were multiple times in the novel in which Perry's thoughts just circled. I found myself reading several paragraphs (several times throughout) which were essentially the same two sentences repeated ad nauseum.

The beauty in the novel came in the perfect representation of calm and repetition in nature: "He could close his eyes and ski and imagine himself finally stopping and freezing and fossilizing and sprouting needled branches and joining the pines in a perfect communion. One of millions. Each the same. No cold, no hunger, no memories and no fear. An element among elements in the elements." Perry really loses himself (and essentially finds his backbone) during the cross-country ski trip. While there is no real change, there is development; as he takes charge (really for the first time in his life) after Harvey gets them lost and then becomes sick, Perry begins to recognize his own value and ability to make decisions.

As Perry drags near-death Harvey through the woods, I was reminded of Millet's How the Dead Dream (which was not a good book). In turn, that has elements of Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Ultimately, we have the same travel through nature in which the main character makes it back to civilization only to realize that real change can only come through oneself. Unlike How the Dead Dream, Harvey comes out alive (the poor guide is not only dead but is left to the river) and unscathed from the experience. It is only Perry who sees the necessity of self-reliance and recognizes that change is not all bad.

When Perry finally emerges, he cannot reach Grace by phone and realizes (much in parallel to Harvey's homecoming on the bus months prior): "There was no answer. Outside, he retrieved his skis and wiped them off and stacked them in a dry spot by the garage. He was depressed. There ought to have been crowds. The high way should have been jammed with well-wishers. He took up the branch that he had used as a pole, gripped it hard and flung it across the highway and into the woods. A clod of wet snow slid off the roof . Inside again, he had another beer." Perry turns to alcohol the same way that the vets do; when reality does not meet expectations after a traumatizing experience it is rather trite to assume a fantastical impression fueled by drink.

Overall, it was not appealing to me. Despite reading Leopold simultaneously, I am not really a "nature" book kind of gal. I think the best parts of this novel are in the natural description and that was mostly lost on me. I can understand why this is a very appealing book to some (in the vein of Heller's The Dog Stars), but personally I was not engaged.

[Danny Colburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit misleading by the synopses, the blizzard-wrecked ski trip is only a part of the story. However, O'Brien does a good job expressing character drama in a seemingly dull setting and you're left entranced and hoping for change and growth that may or may not come. I'm learning I really enjoy Tim O'Briens writing style.

[Bodine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I once bought this book when I was in Bath because it was only four pounds and I remembered being terribly impressed by O'Brien's The Things They Carried when reading it in school. Then I left it to collect dust on my bookshelf for a few years before picking it up. I couldn't help but notice that the goodreads rating for this book is so much lower than for The Things They Carried.

I can see why. This book is quite the accomplishment, but I think it's marketed all wrong. The way O'Brien captures the slow feeling of an old dying town is incredible, but that won't be what people are looking for when they pick up a book because it has 'The suspense is spellbinding' and 'A thrilling story which can be read simply as an adventure story [...]' printed on its cover. The blurb is all about a skiing trip that only begins on page 173 (which is nearly halfway through the book, as it's only 363 pages). The skiing trip itself is, in a sense, suspenseful, because one of O'Briens talents is making me feel the hunger, boredom, exhaustion, and desperation of his characters. But this is not a Thriller or Mystery kind of suspense. The book is suspenseful in its slowness, and I loved it, but it just really doesn't match the way it's marketed.

[Abby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was kind of disappointed in this. It didn't really affect me as much as Tim O'Brien's other novels. I mean, the writing style was just as beautiful, I'll always love his writing style. But I just didn't really care all that much about the story. I didn't like many of the side characters. They kind of gave me an unsettling feeling, which may have been intended, but even so, I didn't enjoy reading about them. The only character I actually liked was Grace, and I was interested in the relationship between Perry and Harvey. The story tended to drag at times because it was often very repetitive - they're skiing through the woods, it's cold, they're hungry and sick - and I couldn't tell one section from another. I took a break from reading it for a few days and it took me a while to figure out where I had left off, which usually isn't a problem. It's not a bad book at all, though. I think, for me, the story just didn't really appeal, and it didn't compare to The Things They Carried or Going After Cacciato, which are both wonderful books. I'm fairly certain that this was O'Brien's first novel, so I'm not going to hold it against him, and I'm going to read his other books, because he's a damn good writer.

[Chancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. This book wasn't as captivating and impressive for me as some of his other works. I know I like OBrien's writing. In The Lake of the Woods and The Things They Carried are pretty epic. I think my problem wasn't the writing here, it was the story. I just couldn't get into it. I couldn't relate to the characters at all. Mostly I feel like this was a story about two grown men working through a life crisis, and while I get where some of the veteran's issues come from, I just couldn't relate to the tone of the thing.

[Em · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easily my least favourite Tim O'Brien book.

Northern Lights comes off as disjointed and rather forgettable. I think I can tell what O'Brien was going for, something about relationships and dysfunctional families, about childhood and fathers, disappointment and jealousy and sibling relationships, and personal changes/growth but it just...falls flat.

[Adele · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were brief moments in this I liked where the rhythm of the language and the existential pondering and the descriptions of nature seemed to be working together. Unfortunately, the book overall was long, tedious, and unsatisfying.

[Stephen Hoogerhyde · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm continuing to reread TIm O'Brien's novels. This is his first novel, published when he was 29. Set in Northern Minnesota, it concerns the relationship between two brothers, Paul (who did not go to Vietnam), and Harvey (who did serve in Vietnam and returned wounded). Paul's wife Grace and a young girl named Addie (who is interested in both brothers) also feature prominently in the action.

The story takes place in a small town that is now dying. The center section of the novel, which is the longest section, covers Paul and Harvey as they adventure out cross country skiing in the remote woods of Minnesota. They survive a blizzard--barely, in Harvey's case--and the dynamic between the brothers changes as a result. Both are still grappling with their different relationships with their deceased father, a self-taught preacher in the town.

Parts of the novel (particularly the blizzard episode) drag a little, but you can see flashes of O'Brien's ability to tell a story, and his love for his native state comes through as well.

[Luke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pacing is a real problem here, as the story doesn't really start until almost 200 pages in. Up to that point there's a lot of character development. Except that's not quite right. There's a lot of dialogue from the characters, but it doesn't reveal much because it's so repetitive.

Later in the book, I started to appreciate what O'Brien was doing with this dialogue a little more. The two main characters have never learned how to express themselves emotionally and they talk in repeating circles, talking around and around what they want to say without ever saying it. It works to an extent, but becomes tiresome and I often got the feeling that it was O'Brien holding back information and not the characters.

Definitely the worst of O'Brien's work that I've read. Not terrible by any means, but I don't see myself ever revisiting this like I do The Things They Carried or In the Lake of the Woods.

[Eric Susak · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Northern Lights doesn't hold up to the standard that I've become accustomed to with Tim O'Brien novels, it still draws me, like an amorphous, slight sadness dimming everything around it. He does this so well by the cadence of the character's thoughts and words. They skirt around issues, avoiding pinpointing the center for fear of what they might find in that dark place. As Perry and Harvey roam the woods on skis, leaving tracks to no certain end, so does the reader follow O'Brien's acute observation of pain and recovery and coping.

There were moments when I felt the deliberate orchestration behind the scenes, that O'Brien was there contriving a point he wanted to make. This is the only failure of this book, I think. But, being as how it's one of his first, we can instead marvel at far he has come between this and The Things They Carried.

[Jeff Graci · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. It wasn’t my favorite Tim O’Brien work but I still found it an enjoying read. One of the themes that struck me that I haven’t really seen discussed is the idea that heroes/heroism is often ignored or just not a big deal to others. Harvey was a war hero, nobody really cared, Perry was heroic in getting him and his brother thru the woods/blizzard and nobody really cared. Perry seems to accept this and is not going to try again as he lets himself go back to his old lackadaisical out-of-shape ways and it seems obvious he’s not going on Harvey’s latest adventure idea at the end. Harvey, on the other hand doesn’t accept this and is always looking for the next big adventure. The other theme that I found interesting was the favorite son vs the least favorite son and the long term impact on both their personalities and lives. Lastly, I really loved Addie as a character.

[Eli Snyder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tim O'Brien is invaluable to the genre of Vietnam War-era literature by illuminating the hard truths about war. Most of his books knock it out of the park, but Northern Lights is a bunt to first base. In this, we follow two brothers, one of which is a Vietnam War veteran, as they reconcile with their past and their relationship.

Northern Lights is messy. It's part family drama, part character study, and part adventure story. Disjointedly, O'Brien covers themes of self-discovery, resilience, defying expectation, and the ineffable wounds of veterans.

Overall, this was a head scratcher. The thematic terrain covered is admirable, the symbolism is rich, and O'Brien's language is haunting. However, the story which carried the good elements felt unsalvageable. If you've never read any O'Brien, I'd pass this one over and start somewhere else.

[Karin Mika · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've used some of Tim O'Brien's writing to teach descriptive writing in my classes and was intrigued by the description of the book. I like outdoor adventures. I like books where people learn about themselves and others as they re-examine their pasts. However, there was little I liked about the book. I did not care for either of the main characters, and I'm not sure what they learned about themselves or anyone else. I was waiting for something to happen, and I'm not sure it really ever did. I was about half way through the book with an intent to stop reading, but I read some reviews saying that the main event (getting caught in a blizzard) doesn't happen until halfway through the book and then the story gets really good. It didn't, at least not for me.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve not read anything else by Tim O’Brien, and though I still hope to get to The Things They Carried, I’ll pick it up with some trepidation after reading Northern Lights - a book populated by characters about whom I couldn’t care less, who communicate in a language unfamiliar to the English-speaking world. There are moments of solid writing, and the story was compelling enough to overcome my instinct to simply put the book back on the shelf, but it’s not a book I would ever recommend. In many ways, this book is the literary equivalent of the films of Terrence Malick. It’s brooding. It’s self-indulgent. It’s populated by inaccessible characters. But still there are moments of beauty. With all of the great books in the world, don’t waste precious reading time on this dud.

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5-3 stars. I've read several other novels by O'Brien and this book did not match them. The strongest parts were the descriptive paragraphs, but the dialogue - and there is a lot of it - brings the story down. I am certain it is intended to show the dissatisfaction and ennui of Perry, but it was pushing my own limits. The stream of consciousness is a logical literary trick in many places but the characters are too much. Again, assuming they are created to illustrate Perry's own tolerance of them. And given that he can barely tolerate himself made this a book I almost DNF, but forced through. Also, don't go on a multi day cross country ski adventure during January in northern Minnesota. Especially if Harvey is your guide.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Tim O’Brien’s wonderful “If I Die In A Combat Zone” some years ago - second only to “A Rumor Of War” in books about Vietnam- but this was the first of his novels I have read, now I have a long list to add to my wish list. This is a spellbinding novel of family ties which built up a gradual lay tightening tension leading to a totally unexpected ending. The characters are well drawn, and the small town life in which this is set evocative, but it is the quality of O’Brien’s writing that shines out.

[Edward Champion · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this novel isn't quite up there with his later fiction (THE THINGS THEY CARRIED and JULY, JULY), Tim O'Brien's careful hand really captures small-town life and the dynamic between two brothers (one who went to war and one who stayed home). I think the blizzard stuff near the end gets a little too overwrought, but this is still good and dependable O'Brien. I love the way he uses sparse atmosphere for long stretches and allows his worlds to breathe. The idealized women in this book -- well, that ain't O'Brien's forte. But then this was 1975.

[Lauren Lewsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Northern Lights by Tim O'Brien follows two brothers, the younger of which has just returned from Vietnam wounded and damaged by war. When the two brothers are caught in a blizzard while on a skiing trip, they are pushed to their limits by the elements as they fight for survival.
The book is very much a character study of the two brothers and how siblings can grow up together but become vastly different people as adults. Parry and Harv have nothing in common, and yet there is a bond that persists.

[Hannah Holmgren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was O’Brien’s first novel and it certainly reads like that. The plot is aimless, which would be fine by me if the characters had any depth to them at all and went through even the smallest of growth arcs.

I was left bored and disappointed with occasional glimpses of the writer O’Brien would become in his subsequent novels. Goodreads doesn’t do half stars but if they did, this would be more like a 2.5 star read.

Also, the book was maybe 100 pages too long. This would’ve worked better as a novella or short story.

[David Phillips · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, having loved The Things They Carried and In the Lake of the Woods, I found this book a really hard slog to get through. I'm sure it was an editorial decision to have so much repetition but, imho it became an overused device. The story itself and the dynamics of the brothers and their relationships with each other and the wives/girlfriends was interesting and the survivalist section quite riveting but, not of it quite gelled for me. And, perhaps, the themes and issues in the book were to subtly handled for me to get it.

[Tracy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not enjoy reading this book but persisted because the story line looked promising and I feel the need to complete reading a book once I have started. I struggled with the style and repetitive nature of the sentences and I didn't like any of the characters. I rated the book at 2 stars as I felt compelled to find out what happened at the end .... so I guess that's good. But the book seemed to peter out at the end.