Refraction: An Arctic Memoir

by Bruce Rettig

Refraction recounts the experience of working in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, a remote Arctic outpost and home to the largest oilfield in North America. It's the story of one person's journey, told in a series of reflections on a time spent living in a frozen wasteland. Justifying the endeavor as a modern-day gold rush or a romantic odyssey could otherwise be viewed as another distorted image hovering above the horizon-another refraction.

352 pages, Paperback

Published November 15, 2022

Reviews

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rettig presents a highly engrossing memoir of his time in his early twenties venturing to the north bank of Alaska (you know, the part in the Artic Circle) to work for a tugboat and barge company that supported oil drilling in the region. His adventure of self discovery and personal challenges is told through a series of evocative vignettes. The short vignettes evoke the never-setting Sun, the monotony of the work, the refractions of ice and snow on the frigid Artic Ocean, the drug-induced mindsets of afterwork hours, and the often delirious state some workers would enter after too long in such conditions. Through his stories we get a sense of the camaraderie as well as the difficulty of long shifts in cold, harsh conditions, the beauty seen everyday as well as the moral dilemmas of the work, the knowledge gained of native cultures as well as the ever present mortal dangers. Rettig examines a transformative period in his life using detailed stories, wonderful photography, and reflections from 30 years later. He using vivid detail to paint pictures of the beauty seen. He is able to take stories from these college summers and the lessons he learned and tie them elegantly to his modern day life and family. How can a lesson on a tug boat apply to raising daughters? How can his own leaving of the nest apply to his son leaving for college 3 decades later? He also (and most significantly) presents a 30yr journey of growth in examining moral/ethical dilemmas of personal roles in destructive endeavors (even if he wasn’t directly working for Oil). How do we deal with the choices we make? How can we come to understand the world we live in and how things actually work? How can a person grapple with an exciting job they once had they tangentially supported something that is drastically damaging the planet? Why did he choose to spend summers away from family and his girlfriend in harsh conditions on the edge of the world? (I don’t buy that it was for the money - and I don’t think Rettig does either). We see Rettig develop and grow in his understanding of the impact that the oil industry is having and he takes an unflinching look at his own role. We see him 30 years later in Tahoe with his family seeing the impacts of climate change and wondering how things could improve (or at least stop getting worse). These quotes below stand out to me as examples of his prose and his goals for the book - what choices do we make, why do we make them, and how do we look back on them?

“Decisions, choices, and divergent paths; we all choose what seas to sail and how to navigate them. Inevitable squalls present challenges in our thoughts and interpretations. How we meet them and negotiate them is often more important than the events themselves.”

“While working up north, I gained some of my most long-lasting memories and life lessons. Development of a strong work ethic, coming to terms with life and death situations, and experiencing the strength of camaraderie, all came into play. But most of all, I’m grateful for all the questions my northern sojourn offered. I still grapple over larger issues - the journey continues.”

Overall, Rettig tells you what he is doing in the title “Refractions” - “the action of distorting an image by viewing through a medium”. Rettig is often taking photos in his stories (and he provides those within the chapters) and these photos are refractions of what he was seeing, his stories are refractions of his memories, and this book is a refraction of a lifetime of growth, challenges, and activism for the environment and tribal rights. You will leave reading this memoir with your own memories of working on the edge of the world with a new family and leave you wanting to learn more about the environment, Big Oil (and their role in our ever growing crises), native cultures, and how you can live an interesting, adventurous life of meaning.

[AD LAND · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every so often I find a book I don't want to end. This is one of those books. The author had me bobbing on the ice floes, watching a world alternate from monotonous slow motion to frenzied action and even danger and back again. It's a real voyage of self-discovery [pardon the pun] as the author goes from greenhorn to seasoned veteran over four seasons of summer work above the Arctic circle. You can feel the beauty, the quiet and immensity of the place in the background while the men are locked into an endless cycle of shoveling snow, chipping ice, and grinding and painting hulls while working for a maritime company responsible for delivering equipment during the summer thaw for the construction of the Alaska pipeline in the mid-'80s. Along the way, the author meets some memorable characters, learns some life lessons from unsung blue collar workers, and grapples with family, relationships, and his future. We get several good history lessons and see him questioning his view of the whole pipeline project and petroleum-based energy as he looks back to a time where the sun never set.

[Aleda Dapcevich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, good writing and writer. . His descriptions of events made me feel like I was there.

[Danny Nielsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. The imagery of people and places is vivid and the author provides profound insight into the beauty and hostility of the arctic landscape. I appreciated the sentiment of the author in finding value in the work while also struggling to reconcile his part in the far-reaching effects of the oil industry in space and time. Refraction: An Arctic Memoir was great reading from beginning to end.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book; it was so well written, flowed nicely, and it covered a lot of themes that I was always curious about, like the impact of the oil industry on the native people of Alaska, what it's like to work in a harsh Arctic environment, and how one lives between two different worlds. This was an excellent read.

[K.A. Merson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The writing is immersive, so it reads more like a novel than a memoir. Kudos to the author for sharing thoughtful reflections not only on his own past and challenges (e.g., isolation and fatigue) but also on issues that affect all of us (e.g., climate change). If you’re not careful, you might even come away with some wisdom. Highly recommended.