The End of Drum-time

Today I finished reading the novel The End of Drum-time by Hanna Pylväinen.

Wikipedia notes that,

Writing for The Guardian, Erica Wagner compared the novel to the writings of Thomas Hardy, stating that the work provided a delicate, empathetic portrait of a group of people who were trying to preserve their traditions and way of life amidst crushing outside pressures. The novel was named one of the best books of 2023 by Vox. The novel was one of Time’s must read books of 2023, with the reviewer stating the work was an extensively researched story about two cultures colliding.

I agree. I found her ability to depict the Sami world from from inside extraordinary; that is to say, she manages to convey the internal workings of a worldview that sees the people as serving the needs of nature in a persuasive way.

She lived with a Sami group for six months to research the story. Whether she actually “got it right” would, of course, not be possible for me to judge. She certainly appears to have made a bold and convincing effort.