Scan barcode
corsetedfeminist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
It details the coming of age of a Sami girl, beginning on the day she finds her reindeer butchered by a neighbor who is not a tribe member. The rest of the books shows her growing up, the changes in her family, and her ongoing battle to force the police to treat the slaughter of her tribe’s reindeer seriously.
It begins with a deeply traumatized little girl, and ends with an even more traumatized, but brave and determined woman. I think Elsa is one of the most honest characters I’ve read in awhile, which comes with the author’s comfort with showing a story that doesn’t have a happy ending. The police never really come to care about the concerns of the Sami, climate change is affecting the village they live in, her family is deeply dysfunctional and everyone in her family has mental health issues, and the future of the reindeer herds is still up in the air… but there she stands, strong, proud, and tragic.
This isn’t a story of overcoming trauma, it’s a story about how sometimes life is just messed up and we have to survive it.
Beyond the raw beauty of the portrayal of Elsa and her family and friends, the racism and oppression of the Sami people is in stark contrast to the deeply loving portrayal of Sami culture in a way that makes the descriptions of oppression hit even harder, such as the scenes where Elsa’s grandmother’s dementia causes her to relive her days in boarding school.
In short, this is a poignant story about Indigenous suffering and grief, but still balanced with strength and somehow not without hope.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and Classism
realityczar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Moderate: Hate crime, Suicide, Grief, and Colonisation
Minor: Forced institutionalization
geerbeer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
cariboukai's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Dementia, and Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicide
mweis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I usually don’t put a lot of faith in comp titles, but in this case calling Stolen “Louise Erdrich meets Jo Nesbø” is very accurate. The book follows Elsa, a Sámi girl and who witnesses the murder of her reindeer when at the start of the book. As the plot continues we see the struggle of the Sámi people as they battle racism and hate crimes and climate change and other factors that are threatening their way of life. While Elsa is the main character, we do get chapters from other POVs including of the man who is torturing and killing reindeer so major trigger warning for animal cruelty here as there are some graphic depictions.
I think what this book does well is immerses the reader into the Sámi way of life and the struggles they face due to the other people’s hatred, an indifferent police and government, climate change, and more. The writing is also very immersive and well suited to such a bleak story. That being said, the pacing of this was off for me. That might be because I came in expecting more of a mystery plot, but we know from the beginning who the culprit is, so the book is more of a family saga than a mystery. But even after I readjusted my expectations, there were places where the story dragged for me.
Overall, I’m glad I read this book and I do recommend it if you’re in the mood for a fairly bleak family saga centering a Sámi community.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Hate crime, Racism, Xenophobia, and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Suicide, and Forced institutionalization
vixenreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Gun violence, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Dementia, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Miscarriage, Vomit, and Car accident
Be wary of police negligence, slander, school yard fights, property damage, adults threatening children, an attempt at a home invasion, funerals, and PTSD.carinaantonia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Colonisation