The Barrens: A Novel of Love and Death in the Canadian Arctic

by Kurt Johnson

This riveting debut is at once a white-water adventure, coming-of-age novel, and tale of tragic love--and an extraordinary father-daughter collaboration. Two young women attending college decide to have a summer adventure canoeing the rapids-strewn Thelon River that runs 450 miles through the uninhabited Barren Lands of subarctic Canada. Holly made the trip once before with a group of skilled paddlers she trained with at camp, and she wants to share that experience with her friend and lover, Lee, believing it will draw them closer. But a week in, Holly, the risk-taker, falls while taking a selfie near the edge of a cliff. She is left injured and comatose, and soon dies. Their locator beacon for summoning rescue was smashed in Holly's fall. It remains to Lee, the inexperienced paddler, to continue the grueling and dangerous trip alone, to save herself and return her lover's body to civilization and Holly's family. In their relationship, Holly and Lee had always told each other stories; Lee had called Holly a storyist. Storytelling helps Lee endure the rigors of her journey and engage her grief as she explores her relationship with Holly while chronicling her own coming-of-age off the grid in Nebraska with her estranged eco-anarchist father, who is now serving time in prison.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Survival, LGBT, Queer, Adventure, Book Club

1 pages, Audio CD

First published May 3, 2022

Reviews

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looks like I’m the first person to rate and review this book and in this instance I’m glad to do so, because I enjoyed this novel and think it deserves an audience.
Interestingly enough, this is a father/daughter collaboration about (among other things) a pretty unconventional father/daughter relationship. The other things are, specifically, a death-defying white water rafting trip through the Artic wilderness…with a body in tow. Because just dragging yourself, a canoe, and a ton of supplies through the inclement weather and hostile environs apparently wasn’t enough. I seriously don’t get the appeal of these sorts of adventures, but then again it makes them all the more interesting for me to read about.
So, meet Lee, our protagonist, inspired in her adventurous spirit and her sexuality by the daughter side of this author combo. Lee gets dragged on this crazy adventure by her girlfriend - their relationship is just new enough that a lot of madness can pass for a good idea. The girlfriend drops off in the most modern of ways – taking a selfie – and Lee is then stuck with first a severely injured person and then a body. In a fit of inspiring dedication, she decides to bring the body back and so she drags it along. Lee’s supplies and spirits are getting precipitously low, but her inner strength preservers and on she goes.
Meanwhile, through flashback style stories told to stay sane, we learn of Lee’s most unusual upbringing by her off-grid fanatic father. Those stories always interest me, think Leave No Trace in movies, but with a much less likeable/sympathetic father figure. Still, it’s nuanced, complex and compelling. It’s also something Lee survives, much like she is determined to survive this wild trip, so in many ways this is a survival story and a good one at that. Strong emotional engagement all around, this book gives you a protagonist you want to succeed.
The writing is very vivid, it brings the story to life in all of its privations and quiet and dangerous beauty of nature. The book really doesn’t need the subtitle (and I don’t like those), it speaks for itself. It’s engaging, exciting and entertaining, all the things you’d want in a book. A family drama, a love story, an adventure, a survival thriller, a coming of age story. Well done, Johnson family. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/

[Britt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley & Arcade Publishing for an eARC of this book. The following review is my honest reflection on the text provided.

3.5 stars

The Barrens is an unforgettable backwoods adventure story, with a slightly morbid twist.

Lee is an incredibly complex protagonist; her entire life is one long survival story. While I love a good hiking story, I probably enjoyed the flashbacks to her upbringing even more. Lee's off-the-grid conspiracy theorist single father was just hands-on enough to teach her how to survive in the wilderness and hands-off enough to leave her feeling pretty alone in the world.

While I wanted to be on board with Lee & Holly's relationship, most of the development happens after Holly dies. They're both so reserved, particularly Lee, and they don't really know each other very well - despite their decision to tackle this dangerous and isolated journey together. Lee doesn't truly open up until she starts speaking to Holly while she's in a coma and then continues after she dies. While this adds to The Barrens ' narrative, it detracts from the "love story".

I am a sucker for any story that takes place deep in the wilderness, and The Barrens is no exception. The writing was a little too simplistic with a lot of telling and not much showing, but I enjoyed the story.

Review originally posted here on Britt's Book Blurbs.

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[Stephanie Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was able to read an advance copy of this book. It was a story set in a place that i was unfamiliar with and i enjoyed learning more about the Thelon and its surroundings. The relationship between Lee and Holly was poignant and moving. I was really empathizing with Lees plight as the book progressed. Made me cry 2x

[Anna Avian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to Netgalley.

2.5* rounded up. I honestly expected more of an exciting story of love, loss and survival from this book judging by the premise, but for the majority of time it felt like a monotonous diary-like tale.

Everything is told from Lee's point of view so we get very little insight on Holly's own perspective and thoughts. We don't really get any background on their relationship. How they formed an emotional connection, what attracted them to each other in the first place, what made them trust each other, what made Holly, being the more experienced one, go on such a long and ambitious journey underprepared and with someone who had zero experience, what made Lee overcome her fear from the fast streams and how did she eventually turn into a "whitewater junkie"? Those were some of the questions that I didn't get answers to and as a result didn't connect with any of the characters.

The writing style is simplistic, with a lot of telling and not enough showing, the dialogue between the two main characters is mostly nonexistent.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books of the year! Once you start, you will not be able to stop. Exciting (I am never going on this kind of trip) with a vivid storytelling arc that makes it impossible to stop reading. Have never read any thing like this book. Made me smile, cry and think. Just loved every word, every page.

[Maxine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two young women, Lee and Holly, have embarked on a canoe trip on the Thelon River in the Canadian Arctic. Holly has made the trip before and is eager to share the adventure with Lee, a novice at this sort of wilderness adventure but just as eager to learn. However, just a week into the trip, Holly falls while taking a selfie at the top of a cliff. Lee manages to pull her out of the water but she is comatose and dies shortly after. Without any way of communication and with no other people in sight for days, Lee must make the long, dangerous journey alone, determined not just to make it for herself but to bring Holly home to her family.

Although The Barrens by father and daughter coauthors Kurt and Ellie Johnson, is, on the surface, an adventure tale, it is mainly a character study. Not to say there isn't plenty of action and nail-biting peril but, at its heart, this is a story of love, loss, grief, and one woman's resilience in the face of adversity. It is told from Lee's perspective as we learn her back story, her love for Holly and her sense of loss, her descriptions of the ecosystem, as well as the stories she makes up to help her through the long days as she struggles to reach civilization including the life that she and Holly could have had. A very compelling and intelligent read.

Thanks to Edelweiss+ and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

[Colleen Oakes · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a memoir, this book would be incredible. I know, because I got halfway through this book thinking it was a memoir. It is NOT a memoir, though it does it’s best to make you forget. (In its defense, it does say a “a novel” on the cover, something I somehow missed) If The Barrens had been a memoir, it would be a searing, unbelievable tale of survival. As a novel, it stumbles. The repetition in the context of a memoir would be understandable, but in a novel it’s unforgivable. Long sections of the same thing (put the body under the water, carry a canoe, eat, tell stories) can be wearing on the reader. The main character makes unbelievable choices and has a pretty hard to believe backstory. The bones of a great survival story are here, but not in the way I hoped.
Also girl? Leave that body behind. Ew.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

These writers draw you in from the very beginning. What I expected to happen farther into the book happened right away. All I could think was, heck now where is this story going? Where it went was an adventure of endurance, emotion, loss and hope. The authors had me reminiscing about lost chances to just live your life with your foot on the gas. We're given a glimpse of Holly and Lee as they used to be and as they are and what could have been. I truly feel a loss for both characters in my Barrens hangover. I will feel this book for a long time.

[Salty Swift · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two young American women make a trip to Canada's far north to spend the summer canoeing through the uncompromising barrens. Barely a week into their trip, the more experienced Holly falls while taking a selfie at the edge of a cliff. The less experienced canoer, Lee is determined the find help. Against all odds, she paddles hundreds of miles in search of other people who can help. She runs into a bear who steals half of her food portions. She loses weight and she's dangerously exhausted. During the weeks of intense paddling, we learn Lee's history. She was brought up by an eco-anarchist dad who taught her all there is to know about hunting and survival in the harshest elements. The endless love for Holly keeps Lee moving forward under the most hostile environments. Wonderfully crafted love story with the a hauntingly beautiful setting.

[Jocelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Barrens is about a college student named Lee who gets invited to take a trip to the arctic to go paddling on the Barrens with a girl she’s been casually dating for two months, Holly. Holly has been on this trip before and wants to go again, but nobody will go with her so she ends up inviting Lee. They’re on the tundra for about 2 days before their relationship (in Lee’s head) goes from “casually dating” to “maybe in love”. I would honestly say this is the most realistic part of the novel. Unrealistic parts are that they haven’t done any prep for this 40 day trip alone in the arctic. Even their canoe buying is done at the last minute. Oh, and also, Holly falls off a cliff, goes into a coma, and is carried around by Lee for a few days before dying. I don’t think that’s really a spoiler since it was what the whole book is about but if it was… sorry!

Before we get to the death of femme lesbian Holly, let’s talk about the single scene that cast me off from this book entirely. Granted it was a long scene that kept popping back up in the strangest of ways, but still. Holly reveals that she’s not out to her parents, and Lee is completely and totally shocked by that. Holly says that she feels like a coward who is hiding herself, and Lee is basically like “yeah, you are a coward” and the book just… lets that sit there. Keep in mind Holly is a STUDENT who relies on her parents for her financial freedom and also knows that her parents will be unsupportive. It could actually be unsafe for her to come out in this situation, and especially in past situations while she was in high school, and I think literally all queer people would understand that.

read the full review here: https://writethroughthenight.com/2022...

[Molly Katt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of the book, and read it in a few days. Well-paced. I loved exploring a part of the world that I will probably never visit in real life. Did one trip to the BWCA and wow, canoe camping is not for me. But I felt like I got such a good sense of the Thelon, the region, the journey. If lee and Holly are the main characters, the River and it’s surrounds get second billing. Lee was a compelling character, tough as nails but also sweet. I wish I understood Holly a little better, but it’s more of a book about lee anyhow.

Being from Minnesota, I loved the many touch points throughout— the spot-on description of old-money St. Paul people; descriptions of Ely and the boundary waters (bwca); and all-things northern. I am passing this book along to my many friends who, unlike me, love to schlep a canoe through the woods while being devoured by mosquitos.

I found the concept of a father-daughter writing duo fascinating, which intrigued me throughout the book. I mean, I can barely say sex in front of my parents without blushing. Not that I would know, because I’ve never had the balls to say that word in front of them even though I’m married with two kids.

Aside from a pretty major spoiler in the back cover, I enjoyed this book a lot. Definitely a great read for any lover of the outdoors.

[Noom Sutaputra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley, Kurt Johnson, and Ellie Johnson for an ARC of The Barrens. This book is an interesting read for me. The setting is interesting. The plot is character driven more than plot driven. We get to see a lot of Lee’s backstory and her relationship with Holly. The pacing of the book is fast at the beginning, but when you get to the middle of the story it gets slower. Overall, it is an interesting read. If you are a fan of Jack London’s To Build A Fire, this books has similar vibes to it. This comes out in May 2022

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you liked the movie The Revenant, you’ll appreciate The Barrens. It is a coming age novel about 2 young women: friends, college students and lovers who embark upon a canoe trip in the Canadian Arctic. Holly, the experienced canoeist, slips off a canyon ledge as she is taking a selfie. She is rescued by Lee and thus begins the harrowing trip back to civilization. The reader will be transported to the awesome wilderness, feeling the cold, the bugs and shared love. Truly a page turner.

[Doughgirl5562 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t want to read this book. Really, I didn’t. Survival books don’t usually appeal to me. But The Barrens was my January book club’s choice. Sigh …. But somewhere in the first fifty pages of this book, it became a very compelling story. It is a book about survival, but to me it was much more about Lee coming to terms with her relationship with her father and grieving her relationship with Holly and what might have been.

So … somewhat a surprise to me … but this ended up being a 4* book. This novel took up space in my head and probably will stay there for quite some time.

[Amy Swaim · Rating 4 out of 5]

It pulls you in and holds you until the final line. I was given an early copy which I nearly read in a single sitting. The rich narrative left me feeling as if I too were wandering this remote space — immersed in the landscape, the wet and lost in my thoughts with flies biting incessantly. I could almost hear the water swoosh from the paddle as miles passed by and the exploration of self layered over a race against time — to safety.

[Laura Veitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still love canoeing tho

[Sammysports8 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5! Randomly grabbed from the library, very heartfelt. Learned a lot about canoes.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I loved the stories Lee would tell Holly about her past. I loved how Holly would tell Lee about what their future could look like. The description of the surroundings were so vividly detailed that I felt like I was right there! Also enjoyed all the wild animals that were in the book.
There were parts of the book that were very sad.
The one thing I couldn't understand, was why she didn't leave Holly in the woods & have the authorities find her & bring her back home. I found it unrealistic that Lee would bring her rotting body with her throughout the horrific journey of 3 weeks!!
This would be a great movie!
And hopefully we will see more of Kurt & Ellie's books!

[Keith Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book about 2 women canoeing in wilderness. Felt like I was with them as description was in detail. Very adventuresome and heart breaking when an accident happened and one died. Helplessness and sadness crept in. Survival was difficult but finally after several days of canoeing she made it back to civilization with the body.

[Michelle Diedrich Newlander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read from a couple of local MN authors

A book that captured my attention from the first page. My only con is that I wish it included a map to follow the journey

[Janina (whatjaninareads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced reader copy of The Barrens in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this opportunity.

I was really excited for this book as despite being quite intimidated by the prospect of it, I feel like I would absolutely love going on such an adventure through the remote wilderness of the Canadian Arctic - minus the death of a loved one, obviously. What I was looking for was an immersive, emotional story - and until I did read the book I wasn’t aware that I wanted it to be in chronological order. I guess what I had hoped for was lots of descriptions of the nature surrounding Lee and Holly and a natural flow of their relationship up until the accident, as opposed to having the accident in the very first chapter and then going back to explain how they both ended up there. Naturally, after the accident Lee is completely focused on first keeping Holly alive and then making it out of the Barrens with her body. There are lots of descriptions but they did leave me wanting for more.

What I also had not expected but came to enjoy were the stories about Lee’s life growing up. I’m still not sure how to feel about Jake, because on one hand he was a horrible father, but on the other he did do what’s right whenever it really mattered. Anyway, I felt like I got to know the Lee of the past extremely well, but never really got a feeling for what the Lee of the present is like, or how the accident and its aftermath changed her. It’s only ever alluded to but I would have liked for there to be more deep thoughts about her life and her future.

Similarly to Lee, I never felt like I actually knew any of the characters that made an appearance, or if at all then only their characters in the past. It did make me feel a bit distanced from the plot.

As for the plot itself, as I said I wasn’t expecting the order in which the story was written and would have liked for it to be chronological, but after the accident everything happened really quickly and I couldn’t put the book down. I felt like I was sitting behind Lee in the canoe and lying next to her in the tent throughout the whole book. I never felt bored or like the plot became repetitive (although the actions in themselves obviously were fairly repetitive) and the book was really well written.

I also really liked the ending, when Lee did finally make it out of the Barrens and had to talk about everything that happened to Holly’s parents, and the way they treated her. I would not have needed the very last coffee shop scene, however.

4/5 stars.

[Audrey Dewey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Skyhorse publishing for giving me access to this book.

The book follows Lee and Holly as they make a white-water rafting trip across the Artic Wilderness. Until things take a dark turn and Lee is stuck with an injured Holly and another body. During all this, the book shares flashbacks that include Lee's upbringing.

I have never understood the appeal of a 30+ day trip that includes dragging yourself, a canoe, supplies, through all kinds of weather and environs. But it sure does create an interesting story! And kudos to the people who have or plan to take this kind of trip. I found this to be an interesting, entertaining, compelling survival story. The writing is vivid, that brought the story to life and helped me stay hooked.

If you like: family drama, love story, adventure, survival thrillers, and coming of age stories I think this book is for you.

[Ruth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lesbian love, not for me

At first i thought the story was about a guy & gal, but then seemed to be about two female friends. By chapter 3 or 4, it turned into a love affair between two women. I am so sick of having the LGBTQ agenda shoved down my throat. No thanks. I’m returning the book.

[VT Dorchester · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but I was also frustrated by it. Belonging to the adventure sub-genre which I have decided to call "canoe-trip-gone-wrong," and which I have discovered I quite enjoy, but also to a sort of young adult/new adult/self-discovery/romance space that I've never been particularly interested in (not even when I was one) this book set up expectations for me that it then didn't quite meet - some of the adventure-tropes never played out, there were certainly some twists I wasn't expecting, and some twists that I sort of was expecting with positive energy and never got.
At a certain point I started to get angry at this book, because it dawned on me that I was essentially reading a story about rich (or girlfriends-to-the-rich) Americans flying into parts of Canada that most Canadians will never get a chance to see, and then having to be rescued, by Canadians. I was happy near the start with the bush pilot sort of complaining about this, and I hoped to see him return towards the end and make some relatively polite-but-pointed remarks to that effect, but that didn't happen, to my disappointment. There were a few moments like with the pilot and with a neat little line towards the end at the restaurant where there was some recognition that there are some class differences in the world and not everyone can just buy tickets and take a summer off and go canoeing, and i salute that.
I think essentially I was disappointed this book wasn't written by a fellow Canadian!
Also, I decided that I probably didn't like the main character very much because to me she came across as essentially still rather selfish at the end of the book, particular when it came to her relationship with her father (I don't want to write spoilers so I'll just say that I thought she'd come to realize/use more of the skills he'd taught her and to acknowledge that he was, seems to me, certainly not perfect but trying awfully hard to be a good father despite being pretty out there) This might be a target audience thing - the character is still pretty young and maybe that just goes with the territory.
Also some of the choices made seemed a bit stupid and I wasn't sure if that was intentional or not.
It would have been nice if there had been a little humour.

To the things I liked about this book -
I've never been to the barrens, but I certainly believe the authors have lots of background and experience there and with canoeing. It was neat how they didn't over-romanticize the setting, which perhaps a Canadian author would have fallen prey to doing.
I read this book in only two days, being carried along by it's pace - it's not the fastest paced canoe-gone-wrong story that I've read, but it does keep flowing, with short chapters that encourage you to keep flipping the pages.
I liked that this book had a young woman lead instead of the more typical young male lead in adventure stories, and I also appreciated that she mostly rescued herself. (Although I did feel the nature of her discovery/actual rescue was cheat-y, narrative-wise..)
I was amused by the nature of the accident, as it mirrors a scene in one of my own works.
It was an adventure story, and that is always fun.
Despite my gripping, I kept returning to the book throughout the past two days to read what happened next.
I'm impressed that the writing of this book was a team effort!

I am giving this a three and a half stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the authors for providing me a copy to review.

[M D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, not great.
I’m a sucker for adventure books. This is an adventure book and more. It’s a character study of Lee, the trainee adventurer, her relationship with Jake the Snake, her wacko father, and Holly, the ‘expert’ white water canoer that she loves but proves to be woefully inadequate.
It is a well written book. Not great literature, but very good writing none-the-less. The staccato chapters make the pages fly by. I do have issue with the sections that detail Holly’s, then Lee’s musings about their idyllic life together in their make-believe future. It almost seemed like page filler. However, Lee’s backstories with Jake are quite interesting and provide some insight as to what makes her click. Whatever events transpired that prompt her to make her way into the vast northern Canadian wilderness, the origins lie here. But in the end, it boils down to love. A forbidden attraction thrusts these two women into this solitary, beautiful, albeit dangerous place.
Toward the middle pages the gist of the tale begins to drag. Paddle. Make camp. Sleep. Paddle. Repeat. Other issues that keep ‘The Barrens’ from being a 5-star book are, mainly, the characters. Although the reader roots for Lee to succeed in her quest, I don’t think she is an admirable protagonist. She has a lot of baggage. Selling weed as a teen seemed like a dead-end street for her. Involving her father in this was only piling one bad decision onto another. Lee wants her experiences on the Thelon River to be a definition of who the new Lee is. A new, more loving and more sensitive person. It works out for her to a point, but I see signs that she will continue her lifestyle at the end.
Holly isn’t much of a white-water canoer. She goes into the wilderness of wilderness Canada with a complete rookie. She is unprepared. She doesn’t even have a canoe in the beginning. When things go south there isn’t any contingency plan. Holly reminds me of a person who has experienced a couple of canoe trips through mediocre rapids guided by real experts, and now she thinks she can handle the big stuff. But disaster, even on a long-term date, can come from many directions, not always on the river.
Jake is a snake. He is consumed by conspiracy theories and exposes his daughter to the results of his continuous bad judgement. Living off the grid, preaching his mantra to the kid 24/7, ill advised, possibly dangerous survival tests with the kid proves that Jake is a train wreck waiting to happen. No wonder his daughter has issues.
I liked this book. It missed the mark on some matters, but it’s still a good read.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Barrens: A Novel of Love and Death in the Canadian Arctic by Kurt Johnson and Ellie Johnson is exactly what it says on the tin: a heartbreaking novel about a young queer woman, Lee, who endures tragedy and peril while on a canoeing expedition in the Canadian Artic. Lee and her partner, Holly, decided to spend their college summer break canoeing down the Theon river, a trip Holly had taken before in the years prior. The trip was already expected to be taxing, as Holly and Lee would experience a lack of many amenities and luxuries, isolation, wildlife, rapids, and other features of a several-week trek through the barren Canadian wilderness. However, Lee's situation soon became dire when Holly tragically fell into a ravine. Lee quickly had to adapt to Holly's death and to a land she had never visited before. Intercut with the story of Lee's survival is the story of her past, how she was raised by a demanding eco-anarchist father, how she developed her young queer identity in the Midwest, and how she and Holly began their relationship in college.

Though most of the content of the novel is divulged in the subtitle and book description, the exact breakdown of events is still thrilling, horrific, and page-turning. I raced through this novel, enjoying how Lee's story divulged and feeling her every heartbreak acutely. Not once was I taken out of the story, and I do not have a single critique of the novel.

This novel is also a fascinating collaboration between father and daughter. Kurt Johnson is, I assume, the author of the majority of the words penned in this book, however Ellie receives equal billing. She provided the inspiration and research for much of the content of the novel, as she, like Lee and Holly, is a queer woman who took the canoeing trip herself a few years ago. Ellie's experience and Kurt's prose make for an extremely vivid, realistic, and unique work of art.

Thank you, Arcade Publishing and NetGalley, for providing this early release copy in exchange for my review.

[Lily Heron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Holly invites Lee to join her canoeing along the subarctic Canadian Barren Lands. Entering this beautiful wilderness together, Lee witnesses Holly fall from the canoe. Forced to recover her comatose body and stand vigil as she dies, Holly recounts a number of awful experiences from her life as she attempts to come to terms with her loss and grieve the chaotic sadness of life.

The Barrens starts with an incredibly powerful sequence of Holly's accident, and Lee seeming to rescue her from the rapids. The book's marketing does state that this is a story that is recounted, so it does what it says on the tin, but personally I found the 'let me tell you this, and then that, and then this' was not as engaging a method of storytelling as the action-packed sequences involving Holly's accident. The terrifying beauty of subarctic Canada grounds the story very well, and Lee's utter powerlessness in watching a comatose Holly die and degrade were viscerally shocking. In that sense, this isn't a book for the faint of heart.

With that said, because Holly recounts experiences such as rape from such an emotional distance, I felt these aspects of the story had little emotional impact, and felt they crossed the line into shock value. Basically I felt there was too much telling and not enough showing of emotion and grief, which was a shame, because the writers can show very well. Again, this is the purpose of the novel, so it's not a criticism as such, more an explanation of why it didn't work for me personally as a reader.

Finally, this was shelved in the LGBTQIA section on NetGalley, but overall I felt disappointed by the representation of Lee's understanding and experience of her sexuality. While not every story has to be about queer joy, I did feel her sexuality was lacking adequate depth and engagement.

I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of The Barrens. These opinions are my own.

[Bannany · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Barrens is a story following Lee and Holly’s trip to the barrens of Canada. We see how they begin to connect in this trip, however, something unexpected happens.

I was mind blown with the execution of this beautiful story. I didn’t expect how much I was going to enjoy it. The story telling of the relationship is so crude yet so gracefully done. At times it did made me tear up.

Lee was a character that at times made angry but then sympathetic with. I felt like I was the one in her position because it really captivated me. On the other hand, you didn’t really know Holly at all. Only Lee’s memories narrated who Holly was.

This is what my main criticism is. We didn’t know the character’s connection origin because we don’t have a strong backstory before the trip. I did expect to be introduced to it but I was disappointed. Nevertheless, the relationship still made my emotions stir up.

I also think the scenery was excellently good. I could almost imagine myself there. The authors made an amazing job with the nature and the importance of it to the story.

If you’re interested in reading it, please go ahed and do it because it is worth it.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for providing an ARC.

[Jean]

Great story by Mn author & his daughter about two women who meet at college & go on a canoe trip for the summer in the Canadian arctic. Holly, from MN & Lee, from NE, tell each other their life stories as they are paddling, until Holly falls off a ridge into some rapids. Holly lived in St. Paul with her parents & had gone to summer camp & canoeing in the Barrens. Lee lived with her father Jake in the covered basement of a house that never got built on a 10 acre plot outside of a small city. After she is arrested for selling drugs at her school, Lee's attorney talks to Jake, who confesses to supplying the drugs, and he ends up going to prison. Lee lives with her school counselor until she leaves for Brown University.

After Holly's fall, Lee carries her & all of their gear but paddles alone, and keeps telling stories - at first hoping Holly can hear her but after Holly dies, she tells stories about what their lives would have been. Eventually, Lee meets a native man & his son who are fishing & they help her catch up to a group of women from the camp Holly had gone to when she was younger & the leader of the group knew Holly from their trip years earlier. They help Lee contact the RCMP to come rescue her & help transport Holly's body and contact her parents.

[Lee Cornell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Barrens by Kurt and Ellie Johnson

Lee and Holly are attending Brown University. Holly once before canoed the Theron River through the Barrens of subarctic Canada, and she convinces her girlfriend Lee that this is an experience that they must share. (If you have read The Twenty-Ninth Day by Alex Messenger, you will recognize the territory.)

Soon after the journey begins, Holly steps off a cliff while taking a selfie. Lee is able to find her and pull her from the water, but Holly is comatose. They have no satellite phone, and their rescue beacon has been made inoperable by the accident. Lee, a canoeist with minimal experience, must continue on and hope to encounter other people or eventually paddle alone the hundreds of miles to their destination.

Much of the narrative is of Lee telling stories to Holly ... of meeting Holly, of becoming lovers, of growing up off-the-grid in Nebraska in a childhood fraught with instability, and of the life that they will have together. They are wonderfully written and woven together, and Lee proves to be a formidable individual.

This novel by a father-daughter team is a finalist for the 2023 Minnesota Book Awards (Novels).