It's all about Josie, a dentist who has run away to Alaska with her two children, Ana, a precocious and lively five year-old and Paul the sensible older brother.
Josie is going through something of a crisis: she has lost her dental practice to a lawsuit and her ex is getting married, wanting to draw his kids into his new world in Florida.
As she hires a battered Recreational Vehicle and drives the three of them into the wilds, it feels like a quirky road-trip but the forest fires and sense of menace from many of the characters, locations and weather (all written with wonderful details) give it a serious tone. That being said, there are also some very funny scenes.
The kids are well written and some of the secondary characters are fun (especially her ex, Carl) but Josie's motivations sometime seem a little unbelievable, particularly towards the end.
Despite some misgivings, this is an enjoyable read, even if it isn't as fabulous as some of his other work.