Northern Lights (O'Brien novel)

Northern Lights is the debut novel of Tim O'Brien.^[1][2] The novel, originally published in August 1975,^[1][3] focuses on the relationship of two brothers. Much of the plot is set during a cross-country ski trip.^[4]

Northern Lights

First edition
Author	Tim O'Brien
Cover artist	Bob Antler
Language	English
Publisher	Delacorte Press (US)
Publication date	August 1975
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (hardback & paperback)
Preceded by	If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home (1973)
Followed by	Going After Cacciato (1978)

Reception

Initial reviews of Northern Lights were mixed,^[5] but many critics noted the heavy influence of Ernest Hemingway upon the style, mood, and tone of the novel.^[6][7] One critic observed that O’Brien’s writing style in this novel is a “deliberate parody” of Hemingway.^[8]

Upon its publication in 1975, Kirkus Reviews wrote that:

”The very earnestness and clapboard verisimilitude of this first novel, manifested in speech that marks time rather than bringing events and personality to the flood, rescues the heavy-handed symbolism. It's a long, slow trek, but worth going the distance.”^[1]

Alasdair Maclean, in the Times Literary Supplement, concluded that "O'Brien's ambition outreaches his gifts." ^[5]

At the time of its publication, Northern Lights was generally seen as a promising debut novel from a young writer. After a 50 year writing career (as of 2023), it’s now viewed as perhaps O’Brien’s most flawed book.^[8]