They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but I often pre-judge by a title, and this is a fine title. I won't give away the reason it's fine (except that it's intriguing), but it's an excellent metaphor for life in Alaska and beyond. Tara, the protagonist, enters into the northern landscape and interacts with the cold, the waters, the grit, and the very air.

The strong Alaskan characters are authentic eccentrics who never become caricatures; my image of Tara, however, was not so clear. It seemed that time was compressed in an unlikely way, but the pace, combined with short chapters, made The Alaskan Laundry a book easy to pick up, put down, and pick up again.

As I got farther and farther into the book I found myself enjoying it more and more. It was well-written but a bit of a disappointment for me, lacking purple passages to be highlighted, underlined, reread, and savored. I would not describe it as literary fiction but as an enjoyable read and probably a good book club choice. I give this engaging book only 4 stars, but I would definitely recommend taking it to the beach or, even better, on a visit to Alaska this summer!