Stolen
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
* NOW A NETFLIX FILM * AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR *
A spellbinding Swedish novel that follows a young indigenous woman as she struggles to defend her family’s reindeer herd and culture amidst xenophobia, climate change, and a devious hunter whose targeted kills are considered mere theft in the eyes of the law.
On a winter day north of the Arctic Circle, nine-year-old Elsa—daughter of Sámi reindeer herders—sees a man brutally kill her beloved reindeer calf and threaten her into silence. When her father takes her to report the crime, local police tell them that there is nothing they can do about these “stolen” animals. Killings like these are classified as theft in the reports that continue to pile up, uninvestigated. But reindeer are not just the Sámi’s livelihood, they also hold spiritual significance; attacking a reindeer is an attack on the culture itself.
Ten years later, hatred and threats against the Sámi keep escalating, and more reindeer are tortured and killed in Elsa’s community. Finally, she’s had enough and decides to push back on the apathetic police force. The hunter comes after her this time, leading to a catastrophic final confrontation.
Based on real events, Ann-Helén Laestadius’s award-winning novel Stolen is part coming-of-age story, part love song to a disappearing natural world, and part electrifying countdown to a dramatic resolution—a searing depiction of a forgotten part of Sweden.
Customer Reviews
Loved!!
This book was heart wrenching and disturbing. I had to skip over the chapters about animal torture and mutilation. The fact that this is still going on today is something the Swedes, and those who live in the region, should be wholeheartedly ashamed of. I was horrified. But most of the story was beautifully written and engaging throughout. This is my first book by this author but will not be my last. I normally breeze through books, reading several a week and forget them pretty quickly. But I will never forget this one. For the rest of my life I will think about the reindeer and Sami people’s culture. Thank you so much for sharing!!!!