After 30 years of marriage, Gary is finally building a cabin in the Alaska wilderness, aided by his increasingly fragile wife Irene. This is a cabin under construction by a couple whose marriage is under dissolution. In his impatience, Gary, lacking proper knowledge, materials or tools or even plans, forges ahead with his dream. The cabin becomes a symbol of their marriage with fissures between ill placed logs and no way to seal them and keep out the elements.

Vann chillingly evokes the harsh landscape, employing the splendor and danger of magnificent landscapes and glacier fed lakes, powerfully employing the increasing winter weather until it almost becomes a character itself. It has been said by other reviewers that there are no likable characters in this novel, but Vann's depiction of each person, internalizing character flaws and complexities, renders the more fascinating than despicable. It could be said that this is a romantic thriller, except that there is really no romance to be found.

One stylistic quibble -- why no quotation marks? For a reader, this interrupts the flow since conversations begin with no indication. Perhaps they will appear in the final version.