Laestadius writes about the Sami and the Swedes live together or not together. How stolen for one definitely means murdered for the other. Small differences, big differences, are shown in the day to day living in this story.

I would have preferred that it was more cohesive as a plot. I got a bit lost in the roundabout way the story is told.

I read this last year, but only recently realised (when watching the film on Netflix), that I may not have given my opinion about it here on Netgalley... As it was some time ago that I read it -I was in Lapland myself at the time - I can't remember details about style or structure, but I do remember being very impressed about it and it was so interesting to learn more about the Sami culture.
And yes, the book was so much better than the film.
Thank you Bloomsbury for the ARC and my apologies for not having written her earlier.

This is a very well-acclaimed book in its genre and the cover really grabs your attention. From the premise I see I would recommend it to a lot of readers, especially
as it features the Sami people who are very interesting to learn about in general. For some reason I expected this to be more literary, the writing style didn't work for me so I gave up on it quite early on. Thanks Netgalley for letting me check out the arc.

I was fascinated by this story - prior to reading it I had very little awareness of the Sami way of life nor the hostility this generated. Nor did I appreciate the difficulty of standing against the cultural mores and trying to make your own way in the world.

Elsa, at 9, witnesses the murder of her reindeer and is effectively silenced. She slowly begins to understand the pressures her family face each day trying to maintain their way of life and experiences racism at school. She watches her father being worn down as over 100 reports of reindeer losses are reported to the police but no action is taken against the perpetrators.

As an adult she starts to take action - standing up for her community which leads to death threats and an attempt against her life - which again is not taken seriously. She lives in fear. Meanwhile her family is struggling and she is trying to understand why her uncle committed suicide.

It all comes to a head and a way has to be found to move forward.

A really hard book to read but absorbing.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. This was a creative and absorbing tale! Definitely recommend this one!

Swedish writer Ann-Helén Laestadius’s first fiction for adults opens in a wintry Scandinavian forest as a knife-wielding figure hacks away at a reindeer calf. What makes the scene so ominous is the narrator’s point of view, because watching it all, only partly hidden by the trunk of a pine tree, is a nine-year-old Sami girl named Elsa, to whom the calf belongs.

Laestadius, a journalist with an award-winning YA novel to her name, is herself of Sami and Tornedalian descent, and as she explains in an author note, she draws here on real-life events that have been taking place in the Sami territory of Sápmi for years. In preparation, she read more than 100 police reports about killed and tortured reindeer, none of which, she relates, has led to prosecution.The slayings in Stolen are hate crimes, targeting the indigenous way of life, yet they’re barely investigated. Indeed, the book’s title flags an injustice that ensures little is done: since reindeer are legally regarded as domesticated animals, the crimes don’t even count as poaching, merely theft.

Despite the fury that inspired Stolen, much of its narrative is characterised by a quiet, pensive stillness, especially the first section, with its child’s-eye perspective and careful contextualisation. Sami traditions are lovingly detailed – from the bright gákti that Elsa and her people wear to the joiks they sing – and we learn plenty about tensions within the community as well as with their Swedish neighbours. Elsa’s mother, for instance, is still regarded as an outsider despite having Sami roots.

The bulk of the novel takes place a decade later. In the intervening years, the loss of a dear uncle and her brother’s estrangement have combined with frustration at police inaction to reshape Elsa’s family. A brooding final section infuses a thriller-like denouement with complex moral reasoning.

Laestadius depicts the stresses and strains unique to a people trying to stay true to their ancient way of life while coping with prejudice, persecution and the unfolding impact of global heating.

Emotional, harrowing tale drawing on author's Sami heritage to depict the prejudice and injustice Sami people face, the inter-generational trauma, mental health issues, patriarchy and lack of respect for their culture and traditions.

We're following Elsa, who is nine years old at the beginning of the story, who witnesses her reindeer getting murdered and the killer's threat to keep her quiet. Despite the family reporting the crime to the police, their case is disregarded and closed as theft without investigation. As the time goes by more reindeers are slaughtered, but Elsa's family never sees justice. Eventually, she starts to resist police's neglect, insisting the cases be investigated and treated with gravity they (and Sami people) deserve.

This was a hard, powerful read drawing attention to racism and prejudice Sami people face that most of us are unaware of. But this tale highlights more voices, all standing their ground and speaking out, demanding justice and respect, calling for a cultural and community change that will bring Sami people acceptance and recognition. I recommend this story, if you can stomach the hard topics and triggers present in this book.

Nine year old Elsa is shocked to find the mutilated body of her reindeer calf but then the killer, a local man, threatens her she shuts down. Elsa is a Sami, reindeer herders from the north of Scandinavia whose way of life is threatened by the modern world. As Elsa grows, reindeer poaching becoming a hazard of life and, even though the herders know the culprit, the police refuse to do anything about it. As her friends settle into their own lives, Elsa is determined to get justice but it comes with dangers.

This book is lauded and at first I struggled to see why but the story develops slowly and very effectively. Intertwined with the insights into Sami-culture and prejudice the people suffer is a tale about revenge and redemption. I loved the way the writer includes the pressures of modern life on a traditional people and also how climate change is affecting a centuries old way of life built around the harsh conditions. It hard to categorise, partly coming of age, partly a thriller, partly an anthropological study but it ends up as a wonderful book.

DNF at 10%

The writing is not working for me, at all! Very simplistic so far, which I guess is to keep up with the fact that Elsa is 9, But really, it's draining me of my will to live. I wanted to learn more about Sami's way of life, but so far this only alludes to institutionalised xenophobia and/or xenophobic attacks. And while I understand that this is probably an important part of some Sami's life, I feel like it is going to take over everything else. I really don't have the will and head space right now to force myself to read this. I may pick it up again at some point, but for now ....

I must admit that before reading Stolen my knowledge of the indigenous reindeer herding communities of Sweden was probably limited to that portrayed in  Disney's Frozen!

This book is really interesting and provides a facinating insight into the Sami culture and the difficulties facing them in recent times.

We follow Elsa and her best friend Anna-Stina, who live next door to each other, and whose families work together in a reindeer collective. At the age of nine Elsa witnesses a local poacher Robert kill her favourite reindeer calf for fun. When he spots her hiding from him, he threatens to kill her too.

The Sami face prejudice from the local Swedish community and Robert is part of this. He feels that the Sami shouldn't have the rights to farm on the land and he is justified in stealing their reindeer to eat. He hates the Sami and when they challenge him he is abusive. Other villagers turn a blind eye to the poaching and the police are seemingly apathetic, writing off the crimes as petty theft and not worth investing their time.

Within the Sami the younger generations are struggling with the responsability of looking after their families herds, whilst dealing with te nuances of moder life. Elsa is not sure that she wants to just become a reindeer herder's wife like her friend Anna-Stina and  would prefer to be more involved with the reindeer. Her friend Minna loves her culture but wants to study law in the city so she can try to get some justice for her family and friends.

This is a long book at over 600 pages, but this is justified as it follows the families over several decades. A really interesting, well-written story.

This novel, originally published in Swedish, provides an extended view of the life and culture of the Sami people, the indigenous inhabitants of Finnish Lapland and the far northern parts of Norway and Sweden.

It is also a story about a girl who sees her favourite reindeer being slaughtered by a poacher, about prejudice against the Sami people, about the difficulty of maintaining a separate culture and community, and the pressures on the Sami created by economic activity. The Sami are a semi-nomadic group moving their reindeer between pastures over large areas of land but this land is increasingly competed for by mining companies, forestry and tourism.

It’s a harsh background but a good story stretching from 2008 to the present day. Elsa, the central character, knows who killed her reindeer and the story unfolds from that point. Other characters in the family and community are well developed and the Sami way of life is sensitively described as well as is the discrimination against them.

It’s a long read but worthwhile.

This story follows Elsa in the world of reindeer herding. Aged just nine years old, Elsa witnesses the killing of her reindeer. The story follows her, from this traumatic incident, through to young adulthood. Set amongst inter-generational relationships, grief, loss and love, Elsa makes her way through the male-dominated herding community, whilst also dealing with cultural racism. It is both moving and gripping - I read through to the early hours to finish it.

I loved this coming of age story set amongst the indigenous Sami people. I must admit I hadn't heard of them before and this book was heart breaking in highlighting the aggressions and injustice they face as well as accessing everyday services like health, education and care.
The plot was a little slow at times but I didn't mind this, I felt it reflected what the everyday life of a reindeer herder might be.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful atmospheric read that utterly captivated me from the first page. The pace was a little slow initially, but the writing and characters were so compelling that I never wanted to stop reading, and when the pace picked up in the second half, I was utterly sold.

Thank you NetGalley and Blumsbury Publication for an ARC of "Stolen" by Ann-Helén Laestadius.
A novel about the Sami comunity from Sweden and the injustices they suffer.
It was my firts time learning about this minority and how close tgey are to their reindeer.
It was an atmospheric read, viewed from the eyes of Elsa, a Sami young girl.
It broked my heart to see how these people are treated.
While the pacing had some ups and downs, I am glad I got to read this work.

We meet Elsa in the far north of Sweden, as her reindeer is attacked and killed. As Elsa grows, and the attacks on her and other Sámi families’ reindeer continue without consequences, we follow her struggle to come to terms with the injustice that is so rife in her society.

Elsa is a captivating character, and I learned so much about Sámi culture (as well as their mistreatment) from this book. Elsa’s family and friends, and their differing reactions to the situation in which they find themselves, are fascinating and insightful.

While I felt as though some of the pacing was a slow at times, the author certainly paints very vivid scenes and I know this one will stay with me for some time.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

Stolen tells the story of Elsa and the Sami community - living a life of oppression and isolation. At the age of 9 Elsa witnesses the slaughter of her reindeer; the crime is committed by a local man who threatens to kill her. She keeps this secret to herself and when other crimes against reindeer are committed she remains silent. Meanwhile as the years pass by the community struggles when the police continually fail to take action . As Elsa gets older the anger within her and the feelings towards how society treats the Sami increases resentment. The sense of claustrophobia and the growing sense of what may happen next increases … impacting upon family and relationships. This story most importantly shines a light on a community struggling to survive and be given the respect they deserve … Ella’s story is the story of a people …

Stolen describes the life of a Sámi community, many of whom are part of a reindeer collective in a small village in rural Sweden. It’s an unflinching look at the reality of life there for the people; who experience racism, threats to their way of life and the killing and theft of their reindeer herd.
Elsa is a vital part of her family; she has grown up to become one of the collective, which is against tradition, the role for women has always meant marriage and children, keeping the home fires burning. She’s a very memorable character who carries the story forward with her brave and outspoken ways. Elsa is very much a 21st century woman.
I did not know much at all about the Sámi (commonly known as Lapps, although I have learnt they dislike the term and prefer to be known as Sámi.)
The snowy setting is described so clearly by the author, you feel you are skiing along with Elsa. The winter world drew me in from the beginning. The tension and sense of a family and community under duress is well drawn.
It’s worth highlighting that there are some extremely gruesome parts which detail the harm and killing of reindeer by poachers. It is possible to skip those graphic paragraphs and carry on with the story, without losing a sense of the horror experienced by the community.
Stolen was a little slow in pace for the first part of the book, but I was never tempted to put it down and stop reading. Elsa is a compelling character, you will find yourself wanting to find out what happens to her and her family.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of Stolen.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the eARC of this book!

The English translation of a story written in Swedish, Stolen discusses the discrimination, hardships and violence faced by the native Sami people; and, in particular, the reindeer herders of the community. The first part of the story is told almost entirely from the point of view of Elsa, the main characters, when she is just eight/nine years old, and witnesses something awful. She carries the secret and the fear with her for years, the story soon taking us along with her as she ages to her late teens.

Admittedly, I found this be a difficult read at times, and not something I could binge in a few sittings. The first half of the book is rather slow; it wasn't until I was over 50% of the way through that it really picked up and I was able to fly through the last half with a fair amount of speed, enjoying it a lot more. Mostly, the themes were quite heavy - thought important. The gore and animal cruelty had me feeling emotional at times, and made me put the book down for a bit - but I understand why they were so necessary.

I was really fascinated with the Sami culture we as readers are introduced to in this story, having very little prior knowledge about the community myself. It was interesting to understand how they are persecuted and 'othered' in their countries, and the book was very hard-hitting in parts!

This is a crime thriller with a focus on discrimination and police ineffectiveness when it comes to dealing with such matters. It highlights crime against the reindeer collectives, and also touches on the misogyny in the community, and mental health issues. Elsa was a remarkable main character, and the others mentioned mostly felt real and developed, too, with a few exceptions.

Overall, I did enjoy this despite it being a different story than I had anticipated going into it. The second half made up for the glacial pace of the first half. Not an easy read by any means, but it was interesting.

3.5 stars.

This book told me so much about the life of the Sami reindeer herders as well as giving me a story that kept me hooked. Nine year old Elsa witnesses her reindeer calf being murdered but is unable to tell her parents because the man who committed the act threatened to kill her if she told anyone. This secret has been with her all her life and when we meet her again ten years later, we can see the effect that the event still has upon her. However, this is not just a story about Elsa, it is the story of the Sami who are almost outsiders in their own land. Racism is something they have to live with and at school, Sami children are often singled out and bullied. We also see how reindeer herding is not just an occupation but a way of life; the lives of the Sami are shaped by the reindeer with the men spending days away as they move them to feeding grounds depending upon the season. Reindeer poaching is a huge problem, and the author does not hold back on the descriptions of the mutilation of these beasts. Unfortunately, the police class these acts as a low priority, as simple theft when for the Sami, the loss of reindeer is a loss of livelihood. As for Elsa, through her we see a woman struggling against a patriarchal society. For the Sami, it is the men in the family who are the guardians of the reindeer, something Elsa battles against. There is so much in here, but it is Elsa we follow and the underlying fear that has been with her since she was a child ever since she was threatened, and as she grows and sees this man all the time, the threat becomes even more real. An excellent read.