A review by alliethegator
The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky

adventurous dark emotional sad 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

3.5

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. I have a tendency to dislike movies that are longer than they need to be, and I think that translates to books as well. Otherwise, the writing felt somewhat formal, which may be a side-effect of me reading mostly fantasy.  I will say, the blending of Intuit and Norse mythology was soooo interesting, I want more of it. The Gods, both familiar and unfamiliar to me were so interesting.

   Inuit. Norse. Both are people of dwarfs and giants and ravens and wolves.

We follow Omat, whose body is that of a woman, and whose soul is a man. I don't think throughout the whole of the book, anyone refers to them by any singular pronoun, so I will continue to use they. Omat's journey is a bleak one, full of heartbreak. We follow them as they grow up from a young boy. In this tribe, women do not hunt and do not fight and do not lead. Unfairly, Omat is expected to, after reaching their menstrual cycle, adapt from how they were raised as a man to the life of a woman. To marry and raise children. Omat fights against this expectation.

Maybe I don't need to return to my body at all. Why continue life as a man trapped in a girl's body when I could just as easily fly into the heavens or run with the wolves?

Aside from their struggles against gender roles, they are also born as an angakkuq, a shaman, to their people. They can enter a spirit sleep and speak with the Gods or transform into animal spirits. They are expected to lead, but due to certain circumstances, they instead are thought to bring bad luck. Their tribe is starving. 

From there things get extremely bleak as Omat travels across the ice and eventually runs into the Norsemen. Check the tw for this book before reading. I loved reading about Omat and their overcoming of gender roles, Omat and their wolfdogs, of Omat and the Gods, Omat and Brandr, but unfortunately between the formal language and length of the book I found myself losing interest and having to take constant breaks between reading. Honestly, it deserves a chance though if you are willing to give it.

I didn't mind the prospect of leaving this life for a while. I was very tired.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings