Some translation issues with the download e.g. chapters in Swedish.. The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no large gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book therefore a star is lost for this.

This novel is incredibly captivating from the first chapter. The author’s descriptions of life as reindeer herders in remote Sweden are incredibly atmospheric and haunting.

The story, centred around Elsa is wonderfully crafted. There are beautiful descriptions of family life and inter generational living, of pride and struggles of connection and love.
There are vivid descriptions of Sámi traditions, the clothing, the lifestyle, beliefs and relationships.
I was fascinated and horrified simultaneously about a story that is based on real life struggles, including ‘theft’, racism and the difficulties of police involvement in such a vast and remote place.
The author’s passion is apparent throughout. While it is not an easy read at times due to the nature of the content, it is a hauntingly beautiful book.

My actual rating would be a 4.5

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC

Author and journalist Ann-Helén Laestadius draws on her Sámi heritage, and a background in crime reporting, for her account of a young Sámi girl Elsa who’s grappling with injustice and prejudice in Sweden’s far north. Laestadius’s gritty but simply-told blend of crime and coming-of-age story follows Elsa from childhood to her teens. It opens with nine-year-old Elsa’s encounter with a man who’s murdered and deliberately mutilated her reindeer calf. Elsa’s too scared to identify the perpetrator but the event and the man will continue to haunt her.

I wasn’t completely convinced by Laestadius’s plot, and there are definite problems with pacing and structure. But the real strength of Laestadius’s book lies in her vivid, incredibly detailed, perspective on Sámi culture and society. The reindeer herders and craftspeople who’ve lived and worked across areas of Russian and northern Scandinavia for centuries. Elsa’s experiences expose the overwhelming array of real-life challenges faced by Sámi communities past and present: Elsa’s grandmother is a stand-in for the Sámi children snatched from their families during the 1930s, locked away in boarding schools and forbidden from speaking their own language; and Elsa’s brother’s struggles with depression are an example of the mental health issues affecting a generation of young Sámi men. Laestadius also uses Elsa’s conflicted visions of her future as a Sámi woman as a means of probing into the internal dynamics of Sámi culture with its deep-seated, patriarchal hierarchies and traditions.

The majority of the narrative is centred on the threats faced by Elsa’s marginalised community, mirroring the realities of everyday existence for Sweden’s Sámi population. Climate change is destroying their reindeer herds’ grazing lands. Encroachment by mining and other industries further endangers their habitat. Racism is rife and often relentless. Laestadius’s harrowing depictions of the torture and slaughter of reindeers is an accurate reflection of an increasingly common form of hate crime, a means of terrorising the Sámi people that both undermines their livelihoods and openly ridicules the close bonds between communities and their herds. Equally realistic is the refusal of local police to actively investigate these crimes, choosing instead to file them under simple theft. It’s hard to summarise my reactions to this one, some sections were far too slow and stretched out, others overstuffed with material. Sometimes Laestadius’s approach felt forced and lacking in subtlety but then she’d suddenly surprise me with a series of powerful, incredibly moving scenes. Translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Bloomsbury for an ARC

Rounding up to three stars


I wished I'd liked this more.
The blurb sounded great.
To be honest the blurb is all there in the book.
It just didn't click for me all the way through.
Else was an excellent character, and learning her way of life was something new.
Too often though I found myself putting it down for another book.
Wrong person for this book at this time possibly.