The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
I’m not always drawn to fantasy but this book called to me from the library shelf and I’m glad it did.
Vasya was born in the midst of a hard Russian winter. Her mother lived only long enough to see her born. As a child she was wild and untamed. At a market in Moscow, a mysterious stranger presses a jewel into her father’s hand for her. But when the shadows of the forest start calling, Vasya is the only one who can save her family and her village from its danger.
This book took me a bit to get into. I spent a week on the first 50 pages and then a single night on the next 200. I stayed up well beyond my normal bedtime to finish it.
There’s a magic and a beauty in the way the story unfolds. A balance that is exceedingly hard to get right. And while this is drenched in fantasy, it somehow does so with a light touch. Even at its climax, the magic never becomes weighty or burdensome. It floats gently above the story, like snowflakes falling from a winter’s sky.
But I think what will stick with me most about this book is the central theme: choice. In a world where her only choices are marriage or a convent, Vasya makes her own path. She’s not content with the lot society has given her, so she breaks away. But it’s not only her choice that matters. It is the choices of the priest, her father, her stepmother, her brother and even Death itself that make a difference.
The last thing I want to talk about this book is the role of tradition. As the world around her changes, Vasya is the one to keep the old traditions alive. And while in our modern world, there’s something to be said about putting aside the superstitions of the past, I think there’s also something about keeping contact with the old ways too. Even something as simple as having a cookie before bed like you used to do with your grandmother. Or making crepes on cold Sunday mornings like your dad’s family did when he was young. It may not help us fight against the spirits of the river, but it helps connect us to who we are and where we’re from. And I think there’s something important in that.
This book gets 4.5/5 stars. It was a beautiful book with incredible soul. I will keep an eye on this author to see what she comes up with next. I definitely recommend this book for a snowy weekend when you’re snuggled up close to a fire.
KT Byrde Writes 