A review by deedireads
The End of Drum-Time by Hanna Pylväinen
dark
emotional
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
4.25
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
I would probably never have picked up The End of Drum-Time if it hadn’t been named a finalist for the National Book Award, but I have to admit I liked it more than I expected to. Quiet, immersive, and culturally rich, Drum-Time gives us a heartbreaking look at the intersections of both modernity and tradition and faith and identity.
The book takes place in the mid-19th century in northern Sweeden, at the edge of the Arctic Circle. In one small town, Nordic Christians are interfering more and more with the indigenous Sami people’s way of life. At the center of the story is a young couple who fall for each other (Willa, daughter of the intense local pastor named “Mad Lars”; and Ivvar, son of an alcoholic reindeer herder recently “saved” by Mad Lars), but there are also many other characters and a whole web of relationships spun between them, making this much more than a romance.
By far, the strength of this book is in its prose. Pylväinen’s sentences are absolutely gorgeous. It matches well with the slow, detailed pace of the book, which is also a strength — although it does occasionally turn against it. There were several key plot moments where I felt the pace naturally want to pick up, but then it seemed like Pylväinen intentionally slowed things down by getting really in the weeds. For me, that broke the momentum of the book enough times that it became a noticeable pattern and my primary qualm.
All in all, though, a solid read. Those who like to read well-researched, moving, literary historical fiction will like this one.
I would probably never have picked up The End of Drum-Time if it hadn’t been named a finalist for the National Book Award, but I have to admit I liked it more than I expected to. Quiet, immersive, and culturally rich, Drum-Time gives us a heartbreaking look at the intersections of both modernity and tradition and faith and identity.
The book takes place in the mid-19th century in northern Sweeden, at the edge of the Arctic Circle. In one small town, Nordic Christians are interfering more and more with the indigenous Sami people’s way of life. At the center of the story is a young couple who fall for each other (Willa, daughter of the intense local pastor named “Mad Lars”; and Ivvar, son of an alcoholic reindeer herder recently “saved” by Mad Lars), but there are also many other characters and a whole web of relationships spun between them, making this much more than a romance.
By far, the strength of this book is in its prose. Pylväinen’s sentences are absolutely gorgeous. It matches well with the slow, detailed pace of the book, which is also a strength — although it does occasionally turn against it. There were several key plot moments where I felt the pace naturally want to pick up, but then it seemed like Pylväinen intentionally slowed things down by getting really in the weeds. For me, that broke the momentum of the book enough times that it became a noticeable pattern and my primary qualm.
All in all, though, a solid read. Those who like to read well-researched, moving, literary historical fiction will like this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Murder, Religious bigotry, Animal death, and Racism
Moderate: Colonisation and Confinement