Far North by Marcel Theroux

by:  Marcel Theroux
published by:  Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux
publish date:  June 9, 2009

Out on the frontier of a failed state, Makepeace—sheriff and perhaps last citizen—patrols a city’s ruins, salvaging books but keeping the guns in good repair.

This has to be the most surprising book I've read this year.  I was kind of expecting something like Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer.  This was nothing like that.  This was more like a dystopian book, that happens to take place in the Arctic.  It's no wonder though, that Far North was a finalist for the National Book Award. 

Makepeace is a woman living alone in an abandoned town in the Far North, existing on her own.  When a prisoner escapes and seeks refuge in Makepeace's town, she realizes there might be more to the world than she realizes.  A plane crash gives her the sign she's been waiting for and she finally sets out on a journey to see what's left of the world.

The world out there is unbelievable.  Like many dystopian books, there isn't really a defined event explaining what happened to create this world.  There are vague references to climate change and biological warfare, but not a specific occurrence.  Considering our narrator and who we eventually learn she is writing to, it makes sense.

The audiobook is narrated by Yelena Schmulenson.  She had a beautiful voice and did a wonderful job with this book.  I definitely recommend the audiobook, the mood and the atmosphere were conveyed beautifully.

Even though this book is a little older, it's for sure one of the best books I've read this year.