--- product_id: 14912367 title: "Legend of a Suicide: Powerful American Literature Short Stories of Family, Grief, and Loss in Alaska" price: "VT5295" currency: VUV in_stock: true reviews_count: 10 url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/14912367-legend-of-a-suicide-powerful-american-literature-short-stories-family store_origin: VU region: Vanuatu --- # Legend of a Suicide: Powerful American Literature Short Stories of Family, Grief, and Loss in Alaska **Price:** VT5295 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Legend of a Suicide: Powerful American Literature Short Stories of Family, Grief, and Loss in Alaska - **How much does it cost?** VT5295 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/14912367-legend-of-a-suicide-powerful-american-literature-short-stories-family) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Legend of a Suicide: Powerful American Literature Short Stories of Family, Grief, and Loss in Alaska [Vann, David] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Legend of a Suicide: Powerful American Literature Short Stories of Family, Grief, and Loss in Alaska Review: Powerful fiction - Highly recommended - David Vann's novella Sukkwan Island is a powerful piece of fiction that will leave the reader reeling. The story of a father and son, the writing is terse and unforgiving, and the story is unsparing in peeling back the layers of pain that enfold the characters. Vann has turned his own personal tragedy - the suicide of his own father - into a story that is truthful, wrenching and powerful. Sukkwan Island will stay with the reader long after he has put the book down, and will bear many future rereadings. This is one of the best pieces of contemporary fiction I have read in a long time because it speaks to the condition that men find themselves in - of trying to be good in a world that allows them to be bad and not answer for it. I highly recommend this book. Review: krakauer meets sartre - By reading first the short stories and afterwards the novella 'Sukkwan' Island I maybe disturbed the author's intention of the structure of this stunning book. To be honest, having done this I found the short stories well written, as good "designed and constructed" pieces of well taught creative writing. But slightly anecdotical. As mentioned elsewhere one could trace the influence of the mastership of Tobias Wolff and Raymond Carver mastership and the more homely tragedies of Kevin Cantry. Still in 'Sukkwan Island' David Vann succeeds in reaching a higher, almost cinematographic level. Having seen the film 'Into the Wild' recently I could imagine the desolate atmosphere of Alaska better. Vann describes the state of mind of the father like Jean-Paul Sartre did in his novel La Nausée. (Disgust?) Furthermore the subject of suicide reminds another Existentialist thinker/writer Albert Camus who wrote suicide is the only free choice we have in our lives we did not choose for by ourselves. As an unmistakenly early 21st century masterpiece of American writing 'Sukkwan Island' could be the ultimate post-pioneer, post-Thoreau depiction of how the Americans finally lost touch with the wild they once were able to conquer. Nature bigger as mankind. Nature bigger as human mind. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | 0061875848 | | Best Sellers Rank | #2,153,079 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #2,562 in Sea Stories #10,997 in Small Town & Rural Fiction (Books) #11,098 in Coming of Age Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars (225) | | Dimensions | 5.31 x 0.61 x 8 inches | | Edition | Reprint | | ISBN-10 | 9780061875847 | | ISBN-13 | 978-0061875847 | | Item Weight | 7.2 ounces | | Language | English | | Print length | 272 pages | | Publication date | March 16, 2010 | | Publisher | Harper Perennial | ## Images ![Legend of a Suicide: Powerful American Literature Short Stories of Family, Grief, and Loss in Alaska - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71-jWXkN5JL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Powerful fiction - Highly recommended *by M***T on March 17, 2010* David Vann's novella Sukkwan Island is a powerful piece of fiction that will leave the reader reeling. The story of a father and son, the writing is terse and unforgiving, and the story is unsparing in peeling back the layers of pain that enfold the characters. Vann has turned his own personal tragedy - the suicide of his own father - into a story that is truthful, wrenching and powerful. Sukkwan Island will stay with the reader long after he has put the book down, and will bear many future rereadings. This is one of the best pieces of contemporary fiction I have read in a long time because it speaks to the condition that men find themselves in - of trying to be good in a world that allows them to be bad and not answer for it. I highly recommend this book. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ krakauer meets sartre *by C***D on February 13, 2011* By reading first the short stories and afterwards the novella 'Sukkwan' Island I maybe disturbed the author's intention of the structure of this stunning book. To be honest, having done this I found the short stories well written, as good "designed and constructed" pieces of well taught creative writing. But slightly anecdotical. As mentioned elsewhere one could trace the influence of the mastership of Tobias Wolff and Raymond Carver mastership and the more homely tragedies of Kevin Cantry. Still in 'Sukkwan Island' David Vann succeeds in reaching a higher, almost cinematographic level. Having seen the film 'Into the Wild' recently I could imagine the desolate atmosphere of Alaska better. Vann describes the state of mind of the father like Jean-Paul Sartre did in his novel La Nausée. (Disgust?) Furthermore the subject of suicide reminds another Existentialist thinker/writer Albert Camus who wrote suicide is the only free choice we have in our lives we did not choose for by ourselves. As an unmistakenly early 21st century masterpiece of American writing 'Sukkwan Island' could be the ultimate post-pioneer, post-Thoreau depiction of how the Americans finally lost touch with the wild they once were able to conquer. Nature bigger as mankind. Nature bigger as human mind. ### ⭐⭐⭐ Not good, not bad *by J***R on August 11, 2013* You can't figure what an orphan feels. Only other ones can. Especially when your father committed suicide. A violent one at that. I am not sure I have the faintest idea of what the author wants to convey in reporting this story. All I can say I feel sorry for him. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vu/products/14912367-legend-of-a-suicide-powerful-american-literature-short-stories-family](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/14912367-legend-of-a-suicide-powerful-american-literature-short-stories-family) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu* *Store origin: VU* *Last updated: 2026-05-09*