Scan barcode
spinesinaline's review
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This is a fictional story but there is obvious influence from real-world cultures, namely Inuit, Norse, Greek, and Christian beliefs and mythologies though none of these are introduced by the names we know.
I’ll leave out some of the details for you to discover on your own but the MC, a young boy who is a storyteller in a village reminiscent of Inuit culture, sets out on a voyage and discovers many other peoples and their stories, which have remarkable similarities to the stories he’s grown up with.
I enjoyed seeing how each community had their own spins on creation stories and other beliefs, though I feel a bit hesitant towards the story’s depiction of Inuit, though again there is no explicit reference to real cultures. But the peoples that the MC interacts with bear a striking, and most likely intentional, similarity to Norse Vikings and Italians in the 1500s based on the inclusion of a Galileo-like character. My worry is that the inclusion of these historical peoples alongside people who resemble Inuit is continuing the harmful pattern of historicizing Indigenous peoples so it was something that stood out to me. Of course, the author may be referring to even earlier Indigenous peoples but as the connection to real cultures is not made overt, there isn’t a clear way to know. (Also as a linguistics major, just a little annoyed at the ‘hundred words for snow’ reference).
I will say that I absolutely loved the art style. The author uses watercolours and it almost feels like the pages in this book are the original paintings rather than reprints as you can see the water marks. I didn’t realize until I finished but this is the same author who wrote Glass Town, one of the books on my 2021 TBR so I’m excited to revisit her artwork with that book.
I’ll leave out some of the details for you to discover on your own but the MC, a young boy who is a storyteller in a village reminiscent of Inuit culture, sets out on a voyage and discovers many other peoples and their stories, which have remarkable similarities to the stories he’s grown up with.
I enjoyed seeing how each community had their own spins on creation stories and other beliefs, though I feel a bit hesitant towards the story’s depiction of Inuit, though again there is no explicit reference to real cultures. But the peoples that the MC interacts with bear a striking, and most likely intentional, similarity to Norse Vikings and Italians in the 1500s based on the inclusion of a Galileo-like character. My worry is that the inclusion of these historical peoples alongside people who resemble Inuit is continuing the harmful pattern of historicizing Indigenous peoples so it was something that stood out to me. Of course, the author may be referring to even earlier Indigenous peoples but as the connection to real cultures is not made overt, there isn’t a clear way to know. (Also as a linguistics major, just a little annoyed at the ‘hundred words for snow’ reference).
I will say that I absolutely loved the art style. The author uses watercolours and it almost feels like the pages in this book are the original paintings rather than reprints as you can see the water marks. I didn’t realize until I finished but this is the same author who wrote Glass Town, one of the books on my 2021 TBR so I’m excited to revisit her artwork with that book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Gore, and Murder
Minor: Animal death, Infertility, and Sexual content
More...