Adventures in the Alaskan Skin Trade

This work of imaginative fiction is the closest John Hawkes ever came to writing an autobiography. His own sensibility informs the character of Sunny; his memories of Uncle Jake are drawn from memories of his own father. The Alaska in the novel is not the everyday cruise ship destination we see in brochures; it's a mysterious childhood world refracted through Hawkes'sensuous prose.

I can't believe I am the first one to review this book! I read it last year for a college literature class and found it absolutely captivating. The imagery of Alaska is perfect, but the best part is the outstanding characterization of Sunny and her father, Uncle Jake. It captures so poigantly the complexities of their relationship--the good points and the bad points. It also, without coming right out and saying it, explains both Sunny's and Uncle Jake's courses of action. I felt bad for Uncle Jake, who ultimately couldn't live up to his (and his perceptions of others') expectations for himself, but worse for Sunny who was left to deal with the consequences of her father's actions. And yet I did not, by any means, find this book to be depressing. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, male or female.