2.5 stars

The Wolf in the Whaleis a stand alone story sets in the frozen lands of North America in 1000 AD which has a young adult Inuit shaman as main character. The author mixed the Inuit folklore with the Norse one. Despite sounding very interesting, the story didn't fully work out for me because it was too descriptive and slow, with not so many dialogues. It was like reading an interior monologue of the mc, therefore the story dragged on and on without much excitement. It lacked in emotions and feelings, and I didn't grow fond of anyone.

First of all, I would like to say that this book is quite ‘dark’ in nature. I mean, literally, the Sun disappears for quite a while far up in the North… but… If you’re sensitive to the more cruel side of life and nature then you won’t manage to handle it in places. People (old and young) and animals (furry, fluffy and feathered) die in this book. You’re warned! It does get occasionally very grim!

But…

On the other hand, this book is structured perfectly around its historical, mythological Inuit/Viking theme where the plot takes us on a journey from the very beginning to the end… like one big circle… You’re born, you live, you die and you’re born again… that kind of way awesome! And every part of this journey is important! The Inuit way of life- so natural and common sense and down to earth and even a bit otherworldly as it tiptoes to the spiritual side; with its stories of spirits- well, I was left positively breathless. This book is everything! I definitely read myself into 2019 with a masterpiece that now sits firmly as my favourite for decades to come!

I even read all of the author’s notes in the end where she explains the research and work and effort that has gone into this book over a decade and I just want to… I don’t know, erect a monument for Jordanna! Yes, she has taken some artistic license with the historical facts, culture and mythology but she knows it, admits it and points it out, and as far as a fictional work- I think Jordanna has done herself well proud here.

This story is about Omat… about her birth and how she inherits her fathers soul and how her grandfather raises her as a boy to become a man and an angakkuq (shaman). And what a story this is! Spanning many years of Omat’s life. All these years of life that fit within them the challenges she faces with her own people being who she is, the challenges she faces when she meets threatening strangers (Norse vikings) and the challenges she faces when the gods interfere!

I was apprehensive throughout this book… With the inclusion of Norse mythology (Thor, Odin, Loki, etc) alongside Inuit beliefs and culture, the clash and contrast in between the 2 were striking. The implications of new people arriving to new lands bringing their own religion, perhaps even the desert walking Christ, were setting the whole story up for doom and I couldn’t wait to see what kind of solutions Omat brought to the table in order to save her own people. The whole story, the plot is set up perfectly to make her character shine in the rich story-telling and she is someone you really learn to respect and love early on.

The Viking warrior Brandr that Omat meets is an interesting addition overall and his role is carefully considered and crafted by the author. Brandr also opens up the possibility for a bit more playful dialogue, which I really enjoyed! And yet, he has to work hard to gain the love and trust from both Omat and the reader. I found him intriguing and myself solid jealous of Omat for having his company! ^^

The story is not something you sit down and zoom through with speed. This story is meant to be savoured. Sure, of course, once I started reading this book I didn’t want to stop but by the gods, I lapped up every word, every mythological story and element. Every setting and scene and piece of dialogue creating a seamless and vivid picture. I don’t know, this book and the story just makes me feel like when I read it, I was looking at the sky and saw the Universe… that kind of way! The whole picture! Simply precious! So precious it makes me want to weep with adoration!

So, yes, there are hardships and death and war and revenge and the bloody Ragnarok. But they are all the obstacles that life would always place in front of every living being anyway.. well, kind of. I’m taking my own artistic license here! You get the gist- there is no good without the bad, ever. There is no easy or simple without the hard and the difficult, ever. There is only the way we accept the lot given to us and the way we decide to deal. There is some wisdom in this book and there are sacrifices but there is also the lesson of love and loyalty and doing the right thing!

Just… Get this book. Read this book!

Content warning: Rape (happens on the page), incest (alluded to).

I went into this unsure of what to expect. I will admit to having committed the cardinal sin of judging a book by its cover and I thought this one wouldn't be my cup of tea. I am delighted to say that I was wrong. I thought this was a wonderful story and I would absolutely recommend it to you, my dear readers.

We follow the story of Omat, the epic journey she goes on in order to protect herself and her family.

I'm going to use female pronouns for Omat because that's what is used in the summary, but part of what is interesting in this story is the exploration of gender. Omat is raised as a boy and embraces more of a non-binary identity as the book goes on. It isn't explicitly non-binary as the author is exploring the Inuit (and first nation) idea of a third gender, a dual gender that has more to do with spirit than it does biology. But the summary and the book frequently uses she/her/hers pronouns so that's what I'm going to do for this review. As a cisgender woman I can't comment on how good this representation of gender (or lack thereof) is, I urge you to seek out ownvoices reviews, but for my part I thought it was a decent approach, it didn't feel like the author was jumping on a trend, it felt like some research had been done and that she had explored what this would be like for the character in the wider context of Omat's life, as opposed to just making her entire character revolve around that fact. Some of the most powerful moments of this book were those where Omat was learning different skills traditionally coded to either gender, bringing them together into her bank of knowledge. I found those elements the most powerful.

Some of this book is quite difficult to read. I've mentioned it in my content warning above but there is on-page rape which is not easy. If you would like to read this but would like to avoid such a thing please do contact me and I'll be happy to let you know the chapters to avoid. But there is also a narrative of recovery and discovery through this book. Omat deals with the emotional consequences of what happens in the context of her wider struggle in the book in a way that feels ultimately very human and believable.

The fantasy elements in this book are largely connected to the idea of gods/spirits and so forth, I thought that the links made between different sets of deities (I won't go into too much detail so as not to spoil it) were truly inspired.

There is a romance in this book, it doesn't take over the plot in any way but it is decidedly there, I thought it was a lovely slow burn and I may have shed a tear or two along the way. If you like that kind of romance that lies alongside the main plot then this is definitely a good example of that.

The writing is lovely, you certainly get the feel for the environment in which these characters live, I know the author is not part of the culture she is recording, but she does seem to have done a great deal of research and has put a lot of thought into the representation of this culture. I would recommend reading her note on the places from which she drew her inspiration as it certainly encouraged me to go out and learn more about the various topics she explores.

As I say, I was pleasantly surprised by this book, I was totally caught up in the characters, the story and the setting within the first third of the book and from there I couldn't quite put it down. If you're looking for a fantasy that takes inspiration from a fairly unique place then I would certainly suggest The Wolf in the Whale.

Also, there are dogs.

My rating: 4/5 stars

I received a free digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is a brilliantly written fantasy novel about Inuits, Vikings, and their gods and legends.

The book starts with the birth of our protagonist, Omat. Omat's grandfather predicts she(/he) will become a shaman or Angakkuq like him.

Omat is a girl with a man's spirit or, someone we can identify as transgender. However, as the story progresses, Omat's situations force her to choose between her identities - her woman's body is abused repeatedly. I admired Omat's strength and her spirit, and I will always remember her as one of my favorite characters.

The writing is descriptive in a way I loved. We can sense the isolation Omat or her Inuit family faces in a vast arctic landscape.

In the beginning, I thought I wouldn't like the story, but as I ventured further, I loved the storytelling. First, we meet Omat and her family. Then Omat is separated from her family, and she survives not only the separation but the brutal way in which the separation occurred. After her attacker's family is attacked and killed, Omat meets a Viking, an incident which leads her into the path of the Norse gods and a War.

**There are scenes and mentions of rape along with violence. If you think this might be triggering for you, then I'd suggest you give this a pass.

Overall, I thought this was a fascinating book about the Inuktitut and the Vikings.

This is a truly extraordinary book, before I write anything else that is the nugget to take away from this review. The amount of research which clearly went into this is staggering but the skill of turning that hard graft into a beautiful piece of literature is humbling. Jordanna Max Brodsky has done a fantastic job.

The Wolf in The Whale weaves a spell as beguiling and mysterious as the Northern Lights. Through the lessons and tribulations of Omat we learn about the fascinating lives of pre-contact Inuits; their methods of survival and unique mythology. Despite their seeming anachronisms with contemporary life they were actually quite prescient about some gender issues which are now being acknowledged in modern societies.

Added to this rich seam of anthropology is the discovery of the far north of the American continent by Scandinavian settlers. Again there is a lot of absorbing detail about the real history of the events plus insights into the beliefs, habits and motivations of those 'Viking’ pioneers.

If all this wasn’t enough the author also brings in a divine element with climactic intrusions from capricious gods on both sides. The book makes a dramatic but brilliant twist towards the end, it’s really unexpected but thoroughly enjoyable. In many authors hands this book would have been a big mess but Jordanna Max Brodsky weaves all it confidently into a beautiful tapestry.

This book would interest anyone who wants to read about the Inuktitut, Vikings or any early cultures who survived in difficult conditions. I think that fans of Jean M. Auel's work would enjoy this story. It's breathtaking in both complexity and beauty.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publishers for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The Wolf in the Whale takes its time to get going but becomes a compelling, high-stakes historical fantasy centred around a trans protagonist.



Note: This book contains several scenes involving rape and sexual violence, including one which is used to humiliate and forcibly "detransition" a character.



It's my first "proper" winter in five years, and that means it's time to rediscover blankets and thermal leggings and to read all the cold, cosy books I can get my hands on. And it doesn't get much chillier than this! The Wolf in the Whale is a historical fantasy set in what is now Baffin Island (or Qikiqtaaluk) in north east Canada, where spring arrives in June and the sun doesn't appear at all in December. Jordanna Max Brodsky has used the historical evidence we have of Inuit arrival on the island over a thousand years ago, and of the Viking settlements in Vinland (now Newfoundland) at the same time, to weave together a meeting of these two groups, and of their respective mythologies and destinies. The result is a rich mixture of myth and of the realities of survival in one of the most unforgiving locations on earth - a perfect setting for a fireside read if there ever was one. (Note: Southeast England does not get quite as cold as Baffin Island.)



The Wolf in the Whale takes its time getting started, introducing us to the rhythm of a precarious, tiny Inuit camp through the eyes of Omat, a child who carries the reincarnated soul of his father since birth. Raised by his grandfather, an Angakkuq (magical leader), and his aunt, Omat grows up expecting to become a man who can help hunt and keep his family fed, as well as hoping to succeed his grandfather and become an Angakkuq himself. However, we soon learn (very soon, if you've read the book blurb) that Omat has a female body, and the decision to raise him as male is not without controversy among the rest of the camp. Omat himself clearly identifies more with a male role in the opening of the book, although he is most attracted by the idea of becoming an "Uiluaqtaq": a female bodied person who doesn't menstruate and hunts as a man.



(Note: Having given it some thought, I am choosing to use male pronouns for Omat, as I think this best reflects the identity the author has him aspire to throughout most of the book. This may be confusing, given the publicity material refers to Omat as "she", but I'm sure we'll all get over it.)



Once Omat's gender identity is introduced as a point of narrative tension, it becomes fairly obvious that we are going to have to watch him fight for it, at least internally. Although he respects the women in his life - especially his aunt and foster-mother Puja - it's clear the kind of masculinity that Omat has been raised in views women's work as inferior. Coming to terms with the extent to which he identifies with femininity, and how this interacts with his masculine identity, all in an Inuit cultural context, makes for an interesting setup, although I can't speak to the sensitivity of this portrayal - I haven't found any own voices reviews of this book yet, but I'd encourage readers to seek them out.



Unfortunately, The Wolf in the Whale instead chooses tearing Omat's gender identity away through rape and forced marriage, forcing him away from his family and into an (also slow) segment living with his rapist and their family as they travel south to hunt whales. The way this scene plays out makes the sexual violence feel inextricable from the trauma of losing acceptance for Omat's gender identity, and turns his female body into a symbol of his loss of power. Although this early scene is the only rape that actually happens "on-screen", the theme of rape and gendered power runs throughout the rest of the book - which includes later exonerating an otherwise sympathetic male character for their role in mass rape as a weapon of war (including the unfortunate decision to narrate a rape scene from his perspective), as well as repeated mentions of a myth of the moon raping the sun. As these things go, it's not poorly handled or voyeuristic in any way, and there are some satisfying elements of revenge in the book's conclusion. However, the interaction of sexual violence with the gender identity subplot is frustrating, to say the least, and I know I'm not alone in being tired of all rape in fiction. Anyone for whom that is the case will probably want to give The Wolf in the Whale a pass.



Once through Omat's childhood, and the sequence of his "humiliation" travelling south with his rapist's family (which together take up around a third of the book), the narrative picks up significantly as the Vikings come onto the scene. Here, at last, the stakes become clear, and it's great to see Omat regains some motivation and starts actively working to change the fortunes of his family and to rescue them from the threat that the Vikings - and, more insidiously, the Christian myth that has arrived with them - pose to their lives in both the figurative and literal senses. The introduction of wolf dog puppies is extremely welcome, as is that of Brandr, Omat's adopted Viking guide. Once the problem of communication is magically sorted out, Brandr and Omat's interactions are generally very entertaining, and the bond that develops between them quickly becomes one of the most compelling in the book. As the political machinations of the Vikings and their gods come into conflict with the already precarious position of the few Inuit on the island, things escalate into a climax involving both humans and gods as Omat uses every resource at his disposal - including things he learns from his captors, especially their powerful non-combatant female leader - to save his family from what he's convinced will be disastrous contact.



As noted above, I'm not Inuit (or trans), and I can't speak directly to the portrayal of these elements in the novel, although I note that Brodsky spent time with Inuit communities in order to research the book, and any critique from a cultural sensitivity perspective ought to take into account that it's portraying not an Inuit community from today, but one from over a thousand years ago. With that in mind, I think there's an interesting analysis that's beyond the scope of this review (and probably this reviewer!) about the impact of juxtaposing historical cultures that were cotemporaneous but where present day marginalisations and continuities make it problematic to treat them as equivalent in fiction. This is particularly notable when treating Inuit spiritual traditions as equivalent to Viking mythology: the latter are now treated entirely as fictional characters in our culture, right down to their inclusion in the Marvel superhero universe, whereas the former has ongoing spiritual significance for cultures which still exist on the margins. Again, I say this not to suggest Brodsky handles these elements insensitively - her characters interact with Inuit gods who, with one notable (rapist) exception, are treated as sympathetic and powerful even when their interests don't align with Omat's - but to highlight my limitations as a reviewer when handling a text like this.



From my incomplete perspective, therefore, I found The Wolf in the Whale a slow but worthy read, which built up into a compelling story of interaction between cultures and expectations and the people who, willingly or otherwise, find themselves caught in the middle of these momentous meetings. Having had so many trials put before him, I was very satisfied with where Brodsky chose to end Omat's tale, in a way which I thought did justice to the themes and to the historical "reality" of the story while also rewarding both character and reader. I'm very glad that writers like Brodsky are apparently putting in the work to put out nuanced, researched historical fantasy narratives that aren't about Western Europe. Although I - like the overwhelming majority of reviewers this book is likely to reach - don't have the tools to assess how sensitive this portrayal is, and I am hesitant to recommend any book in 2019 whose plot relies on rape to the extent that this one does, no matter how un-voyeuristic it is, I definitely don't regret picking up The Wolf in the Whale. While it might not sound like the most natural comfort reading material, this book gave me plenty of material to go on through some admittedly less-than-Arctic winter nights.

This was a good read, although a bit slow from time to time (and I thought it could do by being a bit shorter) I really enjoyed reading something related to Norse mythology. I really enjoyed the main character and her struggle to find her identity, and the author does seem to have done an extensive research about the myths.

I found the start of this very intriguing. It is about the birth of Omat's, the main character. We are in the land of ice with an extended family of Inuit and in a time of gods and legends. Omat will become a shaman like Ataata, her grandfather. With these powers she can talk to and see the gods. However when they stop listening to her why is it that a number of gods continue watching her with such interest?

While the setting for this story is largely the frozen north I found that the landscape did not dominate. The book is descriptive in some ways as the sense of isolation of the small extended family group is powerful.

There are a number of characters in this story from the extended family group, some Vikings, some animals and the gods however the main character is Omat. She is physically female but she is treated by her immediate family as a boy. Not only does this lead to some real gender confusion, there are laws and taboos which Omat will break and there may well be consequences. I really did find Omat an outstanding character who will live in my mind for some time to come I'm sure.

In general when I am reading a review book I try and make notes as I go along. In this case I did find that hard as I simply wanted to keep reading! I guess if I do have a slight reservation the pace in this is a little variable. However few people will find it easy to stop reading during the last 20% or so.

For me this is cleverly worked story telling. The weaving of the day to day Inuit world and their gods with Vikings and their gods is very well done. As is so often the case beware of gods and their tricks... This book also works in the power of stories themselves and I love that approach. I would suggest that, while Neil Gaiman's American Gods is very different in some ways, fans of his book might well enjoy this one. Whatever else it is a book I really enjoyed and one of the best books I've read in the past year.

I hugely enjoyed this book. Takes a different slant on typical fantasy, love the recent trend towards authors looking towards traditional folklore for material for their books. This author has done this fantastically well, integrating different aspects of Inuit folklore, which has clearly been carefully researched. I loved the characters, and really hope to see more books in this style from this author in future!

I loved this book! Such a clever tale that has a lot of history, mythology, yet still original. I also loved the writing, it was lyrical and beautiful.
I thought the idea of a woman being raised as a man was fantastic, very unique. It kept my attention all the way, and I would definitely read form this author again.
Thanks a lot to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this. A bit different from something I would usually read and I am glad I made that choice. I enjoyed the fact the author clearly researched well and knew her mythology and history. The idea of a woman being raised and treated as a man was good and really interesting, the loss when she is taken from what she knew dealt with really well and was a wonderful tale. The reason it's not 4 stars is I found it lost it's paced and dragged a little at times. But overall a really good story and well told.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy to review for an honest opinion