Publisher's Synopsis
'A coming-of-age-story to be loved everywhere in the world' FREDRIK BACKMAN, author of A MAN CALLED OVE
The international sensation: the story of a young Sámi girl's coming-of-age, and a powerful fable about family, identity and justice
Nine-year-old Elsa lives just north of the Arctic Circle. She and her family are Sámi – Scandinavia's indigenous people – and make their living herding reindeer.
One morning when Elsa goes skiing alone, she witnesses a man brutally killing her reindeer calf, Nástegallu. Elsa recognises the man but refuses to tell anyone – least of all the Swedish police force – about what she saw. Instead, she carries her secret as a dark weight on her heart.
Elsa comes of age fighting two wars: one within her community, where male elders expect young women to know their place; and against the ever-escalating wave of prejudice and violence against the Sámi.
When Elsa finds herself the target of the man who killed her reindeer calf all those years ago, something inside of her finally breaks. The guilt, fear, and anger she's been carrying since childhood come crashing over her like an avalanche, and will lead Elsa to a final catastrophic confrontation.
"Shattering and thought-provoking from the first to the last page! . . . A powerful reading experience about the beauty of the wilderness and the vulnerability of people. An illuminating portrayal of a part of Sweden where villagers, neighbors, and families are set against each other through generations." - Book of the Year Award Jury Citation (Sweden)
