Brekke K. (sfvamp) - , reviewed on 11/12/2010 + 108 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

This was not the best mythology-centric novel I've ever read, but it did have a unique voice of it's own. The shifting viewpoints and accounts in first and third person didn't bother me, but the muted tone of the story did. Because the author chose a distant way of writing the story, one never feels that engaged in the characters' plight. There isn't a lot of dialogue so Tobin will often explain a crucial scene in a few simple sentences. It can be frustrating because you want to know more detail, to have the story come truly to life, to become fully fleshed out. Instead, one is always completely aware that the story is shrouded by a veil of time. There is no closure to the story and even the characters are not always aware of their motives or assured of a happy or unhappy ending.

This made for an intriguing read in the beginning but by the last fifty or so pages, I really wanted all the threads to come together. I was expecting this since the chapters are broken up by verses from the Norns, the Norse version of the Fates, who are also responsible for one of the major catalysts for the story--Freya's journey to claim a necklace that will supposedly assure that the Asgard will survive the Christian invasion. I was expecting their presence to be a unifying theme. Instead, everything is still murky in the end and the purpose of the necklace seems to be hazy at best.

The story works well for scenes that require reflection or long expanses of time. The writing is reflective of the loneliness of the landscape and the people, but action scenes are particularly frustrating as they are so quick to start and end and seem more disjointed than poetic. The last fifty pages of the novel depict great upheaval and strife, by which the stilted, passive writing--perfect for depictions of long journeys and unrequited love--does not do justice.

Tobin drew her story from several ancient Norse traditions, the mythology of the old religion and the Sagas. I'm intrigued by how she merges the two traditions and how they interact and are shaped by the treacherous geography of Iceland. I can say I learned something from the story from a mythology standpoint, but from a literary standpoint I can't decide whether I find Tobin's mimicry of the muted mythology of the past, genius or aggravating. Usually, I prefer my fiction to flesh out mythology rather than mimic it so well that it seems like it could seamlessly become part of an ancient body of work.

I would recommend this novel for those who love mythology or like to experiment with writing styles. It is not a difficult read, nor is it an adrenaline fueled read in which you are driven to know what comes next. It is a steady, pleasant read for the most part.

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