''Northern Lights'' is the

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

of Tim O'Brien. The novel, originally published in August 1975, focuses on the relationship of two brothers. Much of the plot is set during a cross-country ski trip.

Reception

Initial reviews of ''Northern Lights'' were mixed, but many critics noted the heavy influence of

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...

upon the style, mood, and tone of the novel.Mark A. Heberle ''A Trauma Artist: Tim O'Brien and the Fiction of Vietnam'' - 2001 p77 0877457611 "Besides its resemblance to one classic American postwar novel, Northern Lights also recalls In Our Time, Hemingway's modernist pastiche of intrusive World War I and bullfighting scenes, first-person reminiscences, and postwar stories." One critic observed that O’Brien’s writing style in this novel is a “deliberate parody” of Hemingway. Upon its publication in 1975,

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

wrote that:

Alasdair Maclean Alasdair Maclean (1926–1994) was a Scottish poet and writer, born in Glasgow. Extracts from his diary provide an account of Scottish crofting life. Employment and university Maclean left school at 14 and took a variety of mainly labouring job ...

, in the ''

Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...

'', concluded that "O'Brien's ambition outreaches his gifts." 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.

References

1975 American novels Novels by Tim O'Brien (author) Novels set in Minnesota 1975 debut novels Books by Tim O'Brien (author) Novels set in the United States {{1970s-novel-stub