Reviews with content warning for Death - Stuldur

Reviews tagging 'Death'

Stuldur by Ann-Helén Laestadius

22 reviews

mweis's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

*I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

I usually don’t put a lot of faith in comp titles, but in this case calling Stolen “Louise Erdrich meets Jo Nesbø” is very accurate. The book follows Elsa, a Sámi girl and who witnesses the murder of her reindeer when at the start of the book. As the plot continues we see the struggle of the Sámi people as they battle racism and hate crimes and climate change and other factors that are threatening their way of life. While Elsa is the main character, we do get chapters from other POVs including of the man who is torturing and killing reindeer so major trigger warning for animal cruelty here as there are some graphic depictions.

I think what this book does well is immerses the reader into the Sámi way of life and the struggles they face due to the other people’s hatred, an indifferent police and government, climate change, and more. The writing is also very immersive and well suited to such a bleak story. That being said, the pacing of this was off for me. That might be because I came in expecting more of a mystery plot, but we know from the beginning who the culprit is, so the book is more of a family saga than a mystery. But even after I readjusted my expectations, there were places where the story dragged for me.

Overall, I’m glad I read this book and I do recommend it if you’re in the mood for a fairly bleak family saga centering a Sámi community.

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bella_zaga's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This book was an amazing slow burn. I definitely enjoyed the second half more than the first. And by the end, I felt deeply moved for the characters. It felt so tender to learn about the Sámi so intimately. I was deeply impacted by the way mental health was explored in this book and the long lasting effects of a single moment from being a little girl to a grown young adult. Also loved how sexism, racism, animal cruelty, climate change, and trauma were all interlaced throughout the story to bring a full, dynamic image of the Sámi people in the modern world.

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vixenreader's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

As important as it is gripping, this book sums up what it means to advocate for yourself, your culture, your mental health, and your own land without wallowing into sentimentality.

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crazygoatlady's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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magneto's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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literarywreck's review against another edition

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challenging informative sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Review in Short:

Laestadius’ prose is remarkably moving and full of luscious description that immediately draws you into Elsa’s snow-covered world. From the start, the immersive story she spins grapples with themes of identity, trauma and injustice; the unique responses of each character reveal layers of Laestadius’ social commentary.

Full Review:

Stolen is written in simple prose that is littered with beautiful descriptions of nature and human emotion. As the majority of the book is filtered through the lens of a young protagonist, I understood the artistic decision to keep the writing fairly simple, however, I did find myself frequently longing for more of Laestadius’ stunning descriptive writing.

The beauty of Stolen lies in its thematic exploration of intergenerational trauma, systemic oppression and mental health. It took me a long time to wade through this novel because of how impactful it was; I frequently found myself needing to take breaks to process what I had just read.

In the Myth of Sisyphus, Camus wrote that the only serious philosophical question is whether or not to commit suicide; for several of Laestadius’ characters, this is not merely a philosophical quandary, but an unavoidable reality. Stolen clearly illuminates the struggle of the Sámi people, and the harsh reality that some people (and peoples) roll heavier stones.

In one of the most moving portrayals of depression and oppression—and, of course, the inextricable relationship between the two—I’ve read, Laestadius somehow manages to make the looming threat of mental health issues feel tangible. At times, mental health—depression, anxiety, and the question of whether life is worth living—takes the reins from the poaching villain Robert, personifying the general/abstract antagonist of oppression in his stead.

It’s not hard to see why Stolen is a best-seller: it tells a story that needs to be told, and it does so remarkably well. Get ready to have your heart broken, but in all the best ways.

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carinaantonia's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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theoceanrose's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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ruffian23's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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mellysay's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Den här boken är verkligen en fantastiskt verklig historia om hur det är att vara same och renskötare idag. Ett stort tack till Ann-Helén Laestadius för att du skrivit den här boken och jag ångrar så att jag inte läst den tidigare. Den är så otroligt hjärtskärande och gripande. Jag önskar alla fick en chans att läsa den här boken någon gång i livet, den berättar en sån viktig historia. Den är en gnutta långdragen och det tog lång tid att läsa den, i vissa delar hände det inte jätte mycket men mot slutet tog den fart igen och de sista 100 sidorna kunde jag inte lägga ifrån mig boken. Ett mästerverk.

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