The Wind Is Not a River is Brian Payton’s gripping tale of survival and an epic love story in which a husband and wife—separated by the only battle of World War II to take place on American soil—fight to reunite in Alaska’s starkly beautiful Aleutian Islands.Following the death of his younger brother in Europe, journalist John Easley is determined to find meaning in his loss. Leaving behind his … Leaving behind his beloved wife, Helen, he heads north to investigate the Japanese invasion of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, a story censored by the U.S. government.
While John is accompanying a crew on a bombing run, his plane is shot down over the island of Attu. He survives only to find himself exposed to a harsh and unforgiving wilderness, known as “the birthplace of winds.” There, John must battle the elements, starvation, and his own remorse while evading discovery by the Japanese.
Alone at home, Helen struggles with the burden of her husband’s disappearance. Caught in extraordinary circumstances, in this new world of the missing, she is forced to reimagine who she is—and what she is capable of doing. Somehow, she must find John and bring him home, a quest that takes her into the farthest reaches of the war, beyond the safety of everything she knows.
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I learned more about the far reaches of Alaska than I had ever known through this well-written saga that captured my heart as well as my imagination. I felt like I went on a wonderful adventure as I read this. Fabulous!
On June 3 1942 war arrived in the North Pacific. The Japanese Imperial Navy, bombed Dutch Harbor in Alaska’s Aleutian Island, seizing hold of the islands of Attu and Kiska. The only Battle fought on US soil during WWII. This is the premise for this very engaging story.
The story is told back and forth from husband to wife, who have been separated …
John is a Canadian-born reporter living in Seattle with his wife Helen during World War 2. Driven partly by a guilty urge to do his part following his brother’s war death, and partly by his journalistic indignation over the U.S. Government’s censorship of the Japanese conquest of the most-westward Aleutian Islands, John sneaks his way onto a …
I sort of stumbled upon this book and really couldn’t put it down. Excellent writing and a really great story of the human spirit. Both the man left behind and the woman who was determined to find him were inspirational.
Wow! I didn’t think I would, but I fell in love with this novel!!
This historical fiction does a great job of bringing to light the WWII experiences of those in Alaska and islands.
A good read.
Not quite finished..but sooo good. Rich in characters! I will miss this book when it is finished. Very well done!
It has been quite a while since I read this book but what I remember is that there was a good bit of history and the plot kept me engaged. Hard to put down.
It took a while before I really got interested. I’m almost 81 and lived through those times….was able to remember the USO organization and rationing. Glad I stuck with it as the story got more interesting as I read along.
I was a young adult during WW2. My brother served in the air force at that time. I found this book gripping and emotional. Very well written.
Loved it. Couldn’t put it down.
Interesting but not a page turner. Ordinary and expected. Probably the best thing about it was the information about the time and place.
Very accurate historical novel, that I knew very little about
I liked it, authentic WWII era details, very mixed happy-sad ending.
I found this book to be very sad. I appreciated the story especially the determination of Helen to overcome obstacles and find her husband. This was not a happy ever after ending.
I enjoyed finding about events that happened during WWii that were unknown to me, woven into a touching love story.
It was a page turner and held my interest.