Reviews tagging 'Stalking'

Varkaus by Ann-Helén Laestadius

10 reviews

rainys's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• 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? Yes

4.0

This book was a challenge to read as it's content was frustrating and disturbing. The translation was very good and ready to read. The characters were memorable and you just wanted good things for them. The author presented information about the Sami people and their lack of justice with the police and local people. Trigger warning for grahic violence against animals, sucide, stalking and threatening death, pregnancy bleeding. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Stalking

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Pregnancy

haileyhardcover's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

August 9th is World Indigenous Peoples’ Day. In anticipation and observance of the holiday, I’ve been spending some time learning about the Sámi people. The only indigenous people of Europe, the Sámi’s ancestral lands are in an area known as Sápmi, spanning the north of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and part of the Kola Peninsula in Russia. During my research, I stumbled upon this book.

Stolen tells the story of Elsa, a young Sámi girl who witnesses the poaching of a beloved reindeer, Nástegallu. This traumatizing event is only the beginning for Elsa, as she grows up and continues to witness against racism and xenophobia, unchecked mental health struggles in her community, climate change, and ever-present threat to their reindeer and, thereby, their very ways of life.

Strong TW for animal torture and death. At several points, I had to just put this book down and cry after reading some of the descriptions; but I still think they were important to include. Though technically fictional, Stolen is inspired by real events, and these are horrific experiences that Sámi   reindeer herders experience. 

There is more than just trauma in these pages, though. While portraying the very real struggles that the Sámi experience, Laestadius, a Sámi woman herself, also clearly wrote this as a love letter to her culture and community. We get wonderful glimpses into culture, food, clothing, tradition. Though my Swedish didn’t come in handy very often, I enjoyed learning some new Sámi vocab words as well!

If you’re looking to broaden your knowledge of other cultures, I highly recommend Stolen. Before I was even halfway through, I pre-ordered Laestadius’ next book, Punished, which is also inspired by the true events of Sámi children taken from their families to state-mandated “nomad schools” - Scandinavian versions of the residential schools that Native American children were forced into in the US and Canada. 

Netflix has adapted Stolen into a movie which was released in April of this year. I’ll be spending my afternoon watching the movie!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, and Grief

Moderate: Mental illness, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Dementia, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, and Alcohol

kirjakimalainen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

An incredible, well written and important book that manages to discuss both current and generational trauma that Sámi people face. The book feels like arctic winter and grief, the writing creates a vivid image of the environment, and very strongly conveys the mood.

The book is very informative on the current reality Sámi people face, and as a nordic person i'm glad i read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Moderate: Sexism

franzeerdbeerbacke's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Eating disorder, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, and Alcohol

ellieswilliams's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Moderate: Mental illness, Suicide, Medical content, Dementia, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

Minor: Miscarriage

cariii's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, and Stalking

rowsoflilacs's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I loved this book. It was the first time I really learned about Sámi people, communities, and way of life. The storytelling was tense but beautiful. I left this book with a new knowledge about the Sámi and some of the issues their communities experience, as well as a passion to inform others and join the fight for Sámi rights.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Stalking

vixenreader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

As important as it is gripping, this book sums up what it means to advocate for yourself, your culture, your mental health, and your own land without wallowing into sentimentality. 

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Content Warnings

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.

crazygoatlady's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Stalking, and Suicide attempt

mellysay's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Den här boken är verkligen en fantastiskt  verklig historia om hur det är att vara same och renskötare idag. Ett stort tack till Ann-Helén Laestadius för att du skrivit den här boken och jag ångrar så att jag inte läst den tidigare. Den är så otroligt hjärtskärande och gripande. Jag önskar alla fick en chans att läsa den här boken någon gång i livet, den berättar en sån viktig historia. Den är en gnutta långdragen och det tog lång tid att läsa den, i vissa delar hände det inte jätte mycket men mot slutet tog den fart igen och de sista 100 sidorna kunde jag inte lägga ifrån mig boken. Ett mästerverk. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail