Four Quarters of Light: An Alaskan Journey

by Brian Keenan

Brian Keenan’s fascination with Alaska began when he was a small boy choosing his first library book in Jack London’s wondrous The Call of the Wild . And Alaska’s mesmeric wilderness has permeated Keenan’s life ever since. A short visit to Fairbanks several years ago was enough to seal his connection with the place, and he resolved to return. He eventually did so with a head full of questions about its inspiring landscape and a heart informed with his own love of the desolate places of the world. In a journey that takes him through four geographical quarters from snowmelt in May to snowfall in September, he discovers a land as fantastical as a fairy tale but whose vastness has a very peculiar type of allure.

From dog-mushing on a frozen lake beneath the colors of the aurora borealis to camping in a two-dollar tent in the tundra of the Arctic Circle, from skinning hides with an aging shaman and his wife to boating in the stormy Bering Sea, and along frozen inlets to a remote Eskimo fishing camp, Keenan seeks out the ultimate wilderness experience and connects with a spectrum of wildlife, including his own “spirit bear,” all of them roamers in “The Big Lonely.” En route, he encounters hard-core survivalists who know what struggle and endurance mean from their daily battle for existence. And finally, he discovers that true wilderness is as much a state of mind as it is a place and that ultimately, to make Alaska home, one must surrender to the land.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Memoir, Travelogue

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the 1980s, Brian Keenan spnt four and a half years as a hostage in Lebanon by Islamic Jihad. I was surprised to see that the same Brian Keenan has written a travel book about a trip he took with his wife and children to Alaska. Four Quarters of Light: An Alaskan Journey is his description of the journey.

The parts of the trip he took with his family, which occupy the first half of the book, were somewhat lame -- as if he were suppressing the conflict that might ensue taking one's family to such an uncompromising place as Alaska. But then the book improves as he leaves his family behind in Anchorage while he spends time in an isolated Eskimo village far from the highway grid. Then he spends time with a husband/wife family of Inuit shamans near Kotzebue, In these two sections, the reader can see Keenan struggling to deal with his damaged spirit from having been held prisoner by Arab terrorists.

I regard the first half of the book as three stars, and the second half as five stars.

[Robin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m a great fan of personal stories that take place in Alaska. However, I couldn’t even make it to 100 pages in Four Quarters of Light. Rather than approaching his journey as a learning opportunity, author Keenan comes off as an egotistical yet insecure know-it-all.

For example, he tries (inadequately) to impress his dogsledding guide and mentor with a macho façade, then tries to gather too-personal information from him. He complains about the National Park system, which has closed areas of Denali to visitors for safety reasons. How dare they interfere with his family’s vacation? Because doesn’t the author know more than the park rangers? These are exactly the kind of idiotic tourists who lose their lives in the wilderness.

I get that the author is on some sort of spiritual journey. Normally I like books with this theme, especially if they take place in the outdoors. But the spiritual aspect is too scattered among the self-absorbed worries and complaints. The last straw was when he quoted Wallace Stegner as Wallace Sterner. Two different authors, dude. I’m done!

[Flora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm. Not sure what to make of this one. I was interested in the Alaska journey, but I ended up skim reading a fair bit. If you are into shamanism etc then you'll love it. It is a very personal account, and in a way it felt like intense, personal diary ramblings. Which is nice for the diary writer to get down on paper, but perhaps is best left at that, rather than being published to a wider audience. Sorry, that sounds overly harsh! I was pleased for Brian as he seemed to get something important out of his journey.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

love

[Carrie Fleharty · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those of us who are enchanted with Alaska, this was a good book. I have been to Alaska, and some of the places he visited, I have visited. This book took me back there. For those of us who have read "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer, then you revisit the reason that people go to Alaska. There are many reasons why people go to Alaska and end up staying. There are stories within stories in this book of the people of Alaska.

I have not read anything else from Brain Keenan, and I may not, but it's not because this book was written poorly. I only read this book for my obsession with the "Final Frontier." I thought the written word described the land and its people very well. I was surprised by the fact that he spent some time in the spiritual realm of this journey. This aspect might put off some readers, but not me. I wish he would have indulged more into that aspect of his journey. This was not the case, as this was a whole journey and not just a spiritual journey. As far as I am concerned this book was well-written and provided the reader of the people and land that make up Alaska.

[Joanne Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled to finish this book. It could have been a better book if Keenan had hired an aggressive editor to help him shape the material. From my perspective, its biggest flaw was its lack of focus. What was it really about? Was it about a spiritual quest? Was it a travelogue? Was it a rambling collection of thoughts, interviews and impressions collected until Keenan decided he had enough material for a book? The aimless philosophizing was tiresome at best.

And I could not for the life of me figure out what he was thinking when he brought his wife and two toddlers along on his journey. I would love to hear her side of the story.

[Stuart Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never had Alaska on my list of places to go and after reading this book it still does not make the list, mainly because when it's visitable the mosquitos will get you. Having said that, this was an interesting read which had me glued in some chapters and less interested in others. If you feel like giving up around 2/3rds through do try and get to the end as the last third was the best bit for me.
Alaska - a place best left to the people who know how to survive there and the animals that call it home.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly I found the book a little laborious but I found the subject really interesting so persevered. The last 100pages for me were the most interesting, focusing a lot around the spirituality of Alaskans and Eskimos. I do feel that the book could’ve been edited to be a hundred pages less and still had the same impact.

[Tim · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't finish, I petered out.

Busy writing about his spirit animal/some vague connection with the spirit of the place while denigrating any other kind of belief.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Keenan's details about the places he visited and his subtle humour in things. I felt that he gave an overall great picture of the locations and sights and people he saw and interacted with. But I also felt he got a little too into the mysticism/spiritualism of Alaska at times. The last few chapters had my mind wandering and lacking any sort of attention. I could not related and he was too vague and too inner personal about it. It was interesting on some level, but maybe for a different book than this one.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took a while but eventually I enjoyed this.
In a nutshell it's a personal spiritual journey within a travelogue of Alaska; taking in natural history, socio-economic history, anthropology, encounters with Native Alaskans and a panoply of American loners and characters strung together with personal spiritual ruminations. The best chapters are those involving the Native Alaskans; the Athabaskan, the Gwich'in and the Inua.

[Martha · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book definitely had some interesting parts (the people he met were almost always fascinating). But, overall, this book was too heavy on the philosophizing for my tastes. By the end, I had heard more than enough about the mystical qualities of Alaska. When Keenan was describing actual events or people, he was great, but when he was discussing the meaning of it all, I fell asleep.

[Rosemary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Brian has an accommodating wife who agreed to follow his fanciful foray into the wilderness of Alaska with two young children. His descriptions of mushing the dogs across a frozen lake, the mosquitoes and his evocation of the people met bring a sense of the challenge and joys of the venture but after reading half the book my attention flagged and I gave up.

[Ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting to read an Irishman's impressions of Alaska but geez - decide on a point of view. Kept recounting his pitiful attempts to joke like a macho man which generally elicited no response from the guys he was trying to bond with; what a weenie! Relied too much on quotes from other writers.

[Carrie]

travel narratives

[Dolores · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for my bookclub. It is a fantastic read and it would entice you to take a trip to Alaska. It is a very spiritual book and I love Brian Keenans work

[Virginia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Parts of this book were quite interesting; however, the author included too much self-indulgent 'navel-gazing' which became tiresome after a while.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight into the wilderness of Alaska and the author's search for his spirituality

[Annie McFox · Rating 4 out of 5]

great read

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had some good parts but overall too spiritual for me.