The Tricking of Freya
Christina Sunley
2009
342 pages
Published by Picador
Iceland is land alive, the earth split open, forming and re-forming before your eyes. Vast vistas of swirling black and neon green moss-drenched lavascapes. Volcanoes in all directions and at every stage of existence: smoldering, dormant, extinct. Glaciers on the move, their hoary tongues licking the edges of meadows. Water falling everywhere, trickling spilling clamoring rumbling down rocky crevices and canyons. And spitting up boiling hot from holes in the ground. Meandering through this riot of lava and ice and emerald slopes as if it were the most ordinary scenery in the world: wild horses, stout-bellied and thick-maned, peering out from behind fringed bangs. And the ubiquitous sheep, with their spiraling horns and shaggy dreadlocked coats. –p. 122
I’ve always been fascinated by Iceland. And if you look at the pictures on the author’s blog you’ll know why. It’s gorgeous, it’s relatively isolated, and it’s small (there are only about 300,000 Icelanders). And Icelanders revere poets and writers. Sunley includes an Icelandic saying: Blindur er boklaus madur. Blind is the bookless man. Obviously, it’s my kind of place. Well, except for the cold.
So a few weeks ago on Twitter Beth Fish mentioned The Tricking of Freya. And I was intrigued. And then Sarah of Terra Communications emailed me and asked if I would like a copy to review. Would I ever! When it arrived I was just finishing Purge and The Tricking of Freya offered the perfect contrast to that book.
This novel is loaded with atmosphere and culture. If you love reading about other cultures and traveling via books as much as I do, then this is the book for you. Seriously, I feel steeped in Icelandic lore.
Freya is the granddaughter of Skald Nyja Islands. The Poet of New Iceland. After a devastating volcanic eruption in the 1800s, her grandfather’s family left Iceland and settled in Manitoba, Canada. Freya, however, is American. Her mother’s family has been begging for years for her mother to bring Freya for a summer visit. And finally, when she is seven, Freya is introduced to her people and a whole different world.
Freya’s Aunt Birdie is unlike anyone else Freya has ever met. She’s outspoken, she loves words, she’s exotic. Yet she’s also moody and mean. Over the next seven years, Freya visits her grandmother, Amma Sigga, and her Aunt Birdie for a month each summer. And then the visits stop. It’ll be seventeen years before she returns, only to discover a family secret that she is driven to investigate.
The Tricking of Freya is written in the form of a letter. Freya is talking to her cousin, telling her the family histories and mysteries. It’s a very intimate way to relate the story, as Freya discloses her frustrations and feelings about her family and herself.
And while I figured out how Freya was tricked long before she did, Freya discloses late in the book that she kind of suspected that might’ve happened. Still, the history and culture that is interwoven throughout Freya’s tale makes for a fascinating read, and I especially loved the way the prose often reflects the moods (you’ll have to trust me on this, or, better yet, experience it yourself, but it totally works). There’s a hint of it in the excerpt above.
If you’re at all interested in Iceland, or you like a lot of culture mixed in with your plot, or you want a moody family saga, check this one out!
Sounds interesting. I stayed overnight in Reykjavik once and it was, well, COLD! But very nice, and Icelandic glass is beautiful.
rhapsodyinbooks´s last [type] ..Review of “Blood Oath” by Christopher Farnsworth
I love the excerpt! This sounds like a good book. I’ve heard Iceland is very beautiful and I would love to visit someday. Since I live in Minnesota I have no problem with cold weather. This book is definitely going on my list for the next time I need to escape to somewhere else.
Stefanie´s last [type] ..My Last Summer Quarter at Library School
I’m really happy I also accepted this for review! I probably won’t get to it for a few months, but I’m looking forward to it even more now!
Amanda´s last [type] ..Notes on a Scandal, by Zoë Heller
Oh good, I’m glad you liked this book. I think I said that already, somewhere. I love books that immerse you in a place, and I do think Iceland is fascinating. We made a layover there when I went to London a few years ago, and I remember being amazed that every single Icelandic woman I saw was tall, blonde, and beautiful. That’s probably not actually true, but it was way early in the morning, I was sort of jet-lagged, and we were in an airport.
Kim (Sophisticated Dorkiness)´s last [type] ..Guest Post on The 3 R’s Blog: Fact in Fiction
Iceland is somewhere I rarely visit in my reading, so your review of this book has piqued my curiosity. I think it sounds like a really interesting read and I am going to be looking for it. I am so glad that you liked it and that it kept you so engrossed. Great review!
zibilee´s last [type] ..Heart of Lies by M.L. Malcolm — 336 pgs
Sound wonderful, Jill. I have put it on hold at my library.
gavin´s last [type] ..The Golden Mean by Annabel Lyon
Ooh, this sounds fantastic! Great review, Jill. I love atmospheric books.
Aarti´s last [type] ..Double Mystery Review: Masquerade & The Beekeeper’s Apprentice
I am going to look for this at the library today! I just finished Betsy Tobin’s Ice Land and I LOVED it! If you haven’t read it yet you should check it out – it sounds like it’s right up your alley. Great review
Susan B. Evans´s last [type] ..Love Calls Us to the Things of This World by Richard Wilbur
Sunley does a great job of creating atmosphere here and what a wonderful job of describing Iceland. Shortly after I finished this one, I happened to catch a music video shot in Iceland and it was exactly as I had imagined. Birdie, oh Birdie; what a great character!
Lisa´s last [type] .."The Poisonwood Bible"
I just had to take this one back to the library as it was due back and I didn’t get time to read it. Aaarrghh!
vivienne´s last [type] ..Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
This sounds like a wonderful book! I’m fascinated with Iceland too, but would only consider going there during the summer.
I actually am pretty darn interested in Iceland because (and it’s probably shameful to admit), I totally loved the episode of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern in Iceland! It looked like my kind of place, and even moreso now. Sounds like a winner!
Andi´s last [type] ..Good Book: The Good Earth
I cannot wait to read this one. And I am determined to get to Iceland one of these days and venture into the countryside (volcanoes or no). Did you read Independent People?
Beth F´s last [type] ..Audiobook Week: Quick Meme
I’m really looking forward to reading this book, especially after your great review. Aren’t the pictures on the author’s blog just incredible?!
Amy´s last [type] ..Review- Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives by Josie Brown Giveaway
Iceland is gorgeous, but the cold, see that’s a deal breaker. I love that the book is “loaded with atmosphere and culture”. That sounds like a great read.
Trisha´s last [type] ..Movie Review- Weekend at Bernies
I bet THE TRICKING OF FREYA was hard to put down – sounds like you can really get caught up in the atmosphere (had to use your word, because it fits so perfectly the wonder you’ve described!)
and “Blindur er boklaus madur” will be revisited. Trust me.
I’m not particularly interested in Iceland, but this book does have me intrigued!
heidenkind´s last [type] ..Chicago 40 by Chloe Neill Giveaway-
I am definitely interested in this one after reading your review. I am not familiar with Iceland, nor have I ever (I don’t think) read a book set there, so it would be something new for me.
Stephanie´s last [type] ..The Sunday Salon
I’m so glad I read this review! I’ve been looking for books that take place in a place I know little about and that intrigue me…and this one definitely fits the bill.
Kari´s last [type] ..June is Audiobook Month