Aednan is a wonderful epic poem, looking at the Sami people. I loved the writing and read this in 1 sitting.

I will be honest I saw Ædnan and immediately when to Old English or Norse epic, because I’m a nerd and love a saga or epic in verse. And well Norse isn’t far off but this is a story about the Sámi people, who are from areas of Norway, Finland, Sweden and the Kola Penninsula or the Sápmi region (European history has called this region Lapland but that and Lapps is considered offensive to the Sámi people).

The Sámi people are best known for being semi-nomadic reindeer herders. However colonization and borders over herding territories and the governments forcing them to “prove” land ownership to keep their territories has led to suppression of their language, culture and way of life.

In Ædnan, Axelsson takes us through 100yrs in a family’s life through several generations as this process unfolds, starting with a family tragedy. It did feel like old Norse sagas and poems while being more accessible and modern. The form itself is a reminder of the harsh setting and circumstances without punctuation and brief verses. You are left wanting more, so much is left unsaid in the white space of the page causing us to read the blank space too. And we see the erasure of the Sámi people take form in front of our eyes.

I struggled with a chronology that feels linear at first but then becomes more attached to family units and time hops within their lives. However I felt like this was still purposeful by Axelsson, I just didn’t get it and had trouble following the story at times when I should have maybe just forced myself to sit with the language and form itself.

I did not know about the Sámi until this book and I’m very grateful to be more aware of their plight. I hope to read more Sámi and Scandinavian literature going forward. I highly recommend this book. It’s a breeze to get through, in a way that is so compelling and page turning. Plus the translation by Saskia Vogel is stunning.

A modern epic poem that is gripping, heartbreaking, and a triumph. Yes, it’s a long poem. Yes, it uses the familiar multi-generational structure of many works of literary fiction. But Aednan has a powerful, approachable rhythm that can pull you relentlessly through its narrative. I accidentally read the entire poem in a single two-ish hour sitting. There were even a couple twists in the story that made me gasp. When was the last time you were shocked by a poem?

The poem covers the lives of a group of Sami people in Sweden (primarily) from the early 1900s to the modern day. While it precedes largely in linear fashion, it will occasionally pull back and forth through history as its narrative demands. Though the subject matter is epic in scope, its focus is always on the lives of individuals and their loves, losses, sacrifices, and successes. Its history was unfamiliar to me, but the plight of indigenous people will be uncomfortably familiar to most readers. Worth more than a single read.

Absolutely beautiful epic novel told in verse.A story of the Sami’s their lives their being forced to leave their homes.This is a long book but do to the writing style it flows and moves fast.heart wrenching a story that will stay with me.#netgalley #Aednan

Really enjoyed this achingly beautiful epic poem/ novel-in-verse about two Sámi families, set over a period of 100 years. I learned so much about the Sámi people and their history, the landscape of norrthern Scandinavia and the changes over time for both. The book is also filled with beautiful phrases such as "alone among the lichen" or "my gaze in the eye of the loon" (great translation by Saskia Vogel) and images such as a golden eagle next to a reindeer. Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for an eARC.

Set over the course of 100 years, this epic poem/novel in verse tracks the lives of two Samí families in Sweden and the effects their displacement has on their identity and their connection to the land.

Beginning in 1913, the story details Ristin and her husband who are reindeer herders in the far north region of Scandinavia, which the Samí people call Sápmi. They have two sons and spend their years in conversation with the earth, moving their herds between what is now Norway and Sweden, with unrestricted access—until the government steps in to begin establishing stronger borders that forces the Samí south off their land and disrupts the natural flow of their lives.

Jumping about 50 years, the story then follows Lise and her family, as she raises her own family in the city and reflects on her childhood in which she was forced into a Nomad School and had her Samí identity stripped away. Her own daughter, Sandra, in the 2000s, will go on to become a strong advocate for the Samí people and their rights, but not without struggles of a legacy that is silenced by many around her.

This is a powerful and moving story of a people I, admittedly, knew nothing about before reading it. I love literature that not only compels but informs, and this surely did both. I learned a lot about the Samí and saw strong parallels to the stories I've read about indigenous peoples in the Americas, particularly the U.S. and Canada.

The writing style, as I mentioned, is in poetic form. The novel is told in verse and inhabits many voices with special focus on the mothers in this story. The women truly make this story come to life and show the power and force that a mother has in the world around her. The term Ædnan actually means "the land," "the ground," and "the earth" and is closely related to the word ædni which means "the mother." Motherland.

Alongside reading this ARC (thanks to the publisher for an early copy for review from NetGalley) I also listened to the audiobook which helped with some of the pronunciations as well as to hear the cadence of the poetry. I thought the narrator did a fantastic job and would definitely recommend listening along if you are able to while reading this.

There's so much more I could say about this story and its themes, but it's quite a quick read (despite the high page count, it moves very quickly due to the format), and I think it's best for the reader to discover it on their own. A great start to my year in focusing on more translated works!

Wow. This is the best epic poem and novel in verse I've read in maybe ever. This story of two families is achingly beautiful and needs to be read by everyone.

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚 :: Ædnan: An Epic by Linnea Axelsson

Story premise: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Character development: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing style: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ending: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am completely at a loss to express how bewilderingly beautiful I found Aednan: An Epic. It taught me so much about a history I knew nothing about.

Linnea Axelsson introduces us first to Ristin and Ber-Joná, two Sámi nomadic reindeer herders who become parents to two little boys in the early 1900s. When the family gets separated because of their sons' needs and their migration patterns, the worst happens. The loss of one of their sons coupled with the loss of their lands sets in motion a grief that will trickle down for generations. We see this with a number of other characters, all coming to terms with what it means to be Sámi in the 1970s and beyond after they've been stripped of their identities and their languages.

The brilliance of this epic is the writing style. I am still perplexed that a story of such depth could be told in so few words. Written almost in verse, Axelsson gives dozens of characters voice, many blending together and separating seamlessly. I was worried when I first started reading that it'd feel like a burden, that I'd struggle to grasp the full story. However, it felt more like absorbing the words off the page rather than reading them. It was a truly unique and powerful experience.

The selectiveness of the words on each page only highlights the importance of language -- and the loss of it -- for our main characters and the Sámi people. As with so many Indigenous peoples, with the loss of their lands to colonialism came the loss of their native languages.

This story was heartbreaking and beautiful. I'm thankful for authors like Axelsson who open our eyes to histories like these. And for translators like Saskia Vogel for making them accessible to all of us.

Ædnan by Linnea Axelsson — available Jan 9!

Thank you Knopf and NetGalley for my free advance copy 🫶

Read this if you:
🦌 are interested in Indigenous experiences (Sámi, specifically)
⏳ want a read you can easily finish in one sitting
📜 enjoy a novel-in-verse format or an epic poem

This epic poem traces a family's Sámi lineage from 1913 until the 2010s, replete with tragedies and joys along the way — from reindeer herding struggles to legal battles. The poem focuses on Ristin, Lise, and Sandra, but we see some snippets from the men in their lives as well as a nurse and a teacher.

Oof, my heart. This is a beautiful, sweeping story about loss and what we pass on to our children. The format is unique, and I recommend reading this one in print so that the structure is at its most impactful (I don't think "space" shows well on a kindle screen). I highlighted several stanzas of this read because they were so beautiful! Can't wait to share them after publication. One of my favorite bits was about how the Sámi culture is divided amongst itself, and that this is how a culture is destroyed. Just a gorgeous, unique read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"Aednan" is a triumph for Linnea Axelsson, showcasing her talent as a storyteller who deftly navigates the complexities of the human experience. Whether you are drawn to character-driven narratives, cultural explorations, or simply a captivating story, "Aednan" is a must-read that will leave a lasting impression.

As the story unfolds, Axelsson masterfully builds tension and suspense, keeping the reader engaged from beginning to end. "Aednan" is not merely a narrative; it is an immersive experience that invites readers to contemplate larger themes of identity, belonging, and the pursuit of one's true self, told in beautiful prose poetry in a stanza-like format.

One of the novel's strengths lies in its exploration of cultural clashes and the impact they have on individuals and communities. Axelsson navigates this terrain with sensitivity and insight, offering readers a thought-provoking reflection on the complexities of coexistence and understanding.

Linnea Axelsson's "Aednan" is a mesmerizing exploration of human resilience, cultural clashes, and the indomitable spirit that emerges in the face of adversity.

I cannot express my gratitude enough to have received an e-arc of this novel. I highly anticipate this novel being released in English for the very first time in 2024 and watching it receive wider recognition and praise.

This is a long book but written in verse so reads quickly once you get used to the rhythm. It follows three generations of Sámi people who are forced from their homeland in northern Scandinavia when the borders of Sweden and Norway were drawn. The Sámi were then forced into a system of “Swedification.” This is not all apparent from the book itself. I did have to do some research while reading. It is a beautiful book and it is one that I will think about for a while. I received a digital arc from the publisher via NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this novel in verse about a Sami family through the generations, showing the forced movement of the Sami when the Norwegian border was closed to reindeer herding. We also see the impact of Christian boarding schools, including the trauma it inflicted on an entire generation, separating them from their heritage and nearly succeeding in eliminating the Sami culture and language.

It took me a bit to get into the rhythm of shifting points of view and the verse structure, but once I got into the flow I enjoy it. There are some incredible lines that really hit you hard. It also mad me in awe of the translation- how hard it must have been to capture the rhythm of the original language with a translation, so major kudos to Saskia Vogel the translator.

Highly recommend this one if you are at all interested in Indigenous history and culture, or the history of the Scandinavian region, including those parts they don't like to advertise.

Aedan is a story in verse about two families of Sámi people over about 100 years of their lives. The Sámi are indigenous people from northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and and Russia. I was a little familiar with Sámi culture and was excited to learn more!

First of all, I didn't realize that this book would not be written in traditional prose until I opened the first page. I had never read a book that was written in this style and was nervous to start. I had a lovely time reading it despite by initial hesitance. The lyrical language really helped to create the atmosphere in a way that I don't think regular prose can. Don't let the relatively high page count scare you off; it goes very quickly. I read this book on a plane from Iceland to the US and finished in around two hours.

This book is definitely more atmospheric than plot focused. You really just follow the families throughout the years, sometimes moving backwards and forwards in time. I liked this style and really getting to sit with the story over a century.

If you are looking for a uniquely beautiful reading experience, I recommend this book! 4 stars from me. Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Reindeer herding is a way of life for many Sami people living in Sapmi, a borderless region containing Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia. Swedish Lapland contains a large Swedish Sami community. This beautifully written novel-in-verse, titled "Aednan" (meaning the land, the earth and my mother), follows reindeer migration over a one hundred year period, from 1910-2o10.

In spring 1913, reindeer lazily graze off the north Norwegian coast. A herding family will move to winter grounds "across glowing autumn pastures". A "weakling" will never be of use in the reindeer forest. "...heartbeats in the ground faint beneath the inherited migration paths...". The does head west, into the mountains to the calving grounds." "To be without the reindeer's gaze was impossible...The herd's body became our bodies, our family." Once May day passed, they crossed the border into Norway to "a simple home at the water's edge."

The 1920s Lapp Administration altered migration paths...A departure from our lives-farewell to the trails and hillsides-forced to graze our herds on unfamiliar grounds". "Strong men [were] sent up through the forests to tame the river and yoke the power of the rapids even though our kinsmen had long moved with their herds across this rolling river valley...the river was left muffled and silent behind the dam's dim stony blind walls...the herds had to give way-a rocky riverbank we were allowed...We didn't belong to those who still remembered this river's voice in song when it had flowed freely."

I was forced to leave my life behind, at age seven, to attend Nomad Residential School. "The Swedish language grew along in my thoughts...the Sami since long asleep in the body of shame...having lived for years in the conqueror's house. I just let [my own language] slip away..." Can I manage to keep my own language alive, as a grown woman, to re-embrace my dialect and share the Sami language with my children?

"Aednan: An Epic" by Sami-Swedish author Linnea Axelsson paints a tapestry of the challenges of life as a reindeer herder while traditional grazing lands, unaffected by boundaries, become closed borders. Displacement has political implications especially between countries that have different rules on animal herding and grazing rights. In 2016, "Girjas Sami Village sued the Swedish State for hunting and fishing rights within the Sami community's boundaries."

It is this reader's hope that this exemplary novel-in-verse, winner of the August Prize for Fiction in 2018, will continue to shine a light on the inequities facing the indigenous Sami people of the north. Highly recommended.

Thank you Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.