AEDNAN An Epic

This epic novel in verse is set in the Northern Sami lands of Scandinavia above the Arctic Circle. Angela Dawe employs deliberate pacing and pauses, along with a dreamy tone. Her delivery style results in a faithful translation of the poetic blank spaces throughout the original text, which suggest the quietness of the landscape and the erasing of the Sami reindeer herders' culture. The novel follows three generations of Sami from 1913, after the borders between Norway and Sweden were instituted, through the forced settlement of traditionally nomadic families and the damming of rivers that flooded their herding routes, to the cultural rebirth among younger Sami today. It's a treat on audio--a story with a poetic soul that is accessible and profoundly important. A.B. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2024]