  | Book Details Title: When We Were Vikings |
Book DescriptionAmazon.com Review When We Were Vikings is a tender, witty novel about protecting your tribe and living your own legend. Zelda is a young woman obsessed with Vikings: their language, their legends, and, most of all, their heroes. Zelda was born with fetal alcohol syndrome and lives with her older brother, Gert, who struggles to keep them afloat financially. Due to his appearance, Gert is often mistaken for a thug, but Zelda and Gert’s girlfriend convince him to live up to his potential and go to college. But the bills still need to get paid, so Gert gets involved in some shady business in order to provide for the two of them, and the people he’s dealing with are dangerous and cruel. Though Gert is responsible for Zelda, sometimes she has to step in and save him too; their love and loyalty is fierce and wonderful. The novel is Zelda’s account of her quest to become a hero of her own making, to live a life bigger than the label of developmentally challenged. With Zelda’s unique narrative voice in my head, When We Were Vikings made me laugh, cry, and chew my fingernails down to stubs in anticipation of what would happen next. Moving, memorable, and utterly original. —Seira Wilson, Amazon Book Review Read more Review “Zelda is a marvel, a living, breathing three-dimensional character with a voice so distinctive she leaps off the page…. When We Were Vikings is the tale of Zelda’s quest for autonomy, and MacDonald charts her course admirably.” —The New York Times “Heartwarming and unforgettable.” —People “When We Were Vikings is eye-opening and heart-expanding. The mundane and the fantastic meet in a powerful mix of joy and sadness, as Zelda embarks on a legendary quest to gain her independence and protect what’s left of her family. By the last page, you will wish you were part of her tribe, too.” –Bryn Greenwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Reckless Oath We Made and All the Ugly and Wonderful Things “You shall not pass! These are the words of Zelda, but also my advice to any reader who is lucky enough to come across this book. Andrew David Macdonald has written of the finest debut novels I have ever encountered, and I have no doubt that he will become as legendary as the beloved Zelda. This book glows, it shines, and most of all, it’s important. Macdonald’s humanity and empathy make this a book worth treasuring. I’ve never, ever read anything like it. Zelda is fresh, she’s fearless, and she gives the reader hope, something so rare these days. She is brave, she is determined, and she will stay with you for all your days to come—there is a Zelda inside all of us, and this delicious book will give you the courage to face the things you fear the most. There is no better gift than a book that can change lives.” —Richard Fifield, author of The Flood Girls “MacDonald’s first novel is a truly original story filled with love, tragedy, heartache, and triumph, and his heroine is sure to inspire readers to be legendary themselves.” —Booklist “Told with skillful empathy, When We Were Vikings explores a violent world as experienced by Zelda, a girl with a mental disability finding her power. Andrew David MacDonald is a writer to watch, an insightful new voice who invents in ways that feel deeply personal.” —Sabina Murray, PEN/Faulkner Award-winning author of The Caprices “In this engaging debut novel, MacDonald skillfully balances drama and violence with humor, highlighting how an unorthodox family unit is still a family… With Zelda, he’s created an unforgettable character, one whose distinctive voice is entertaining and inspiring. Will appeal to fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. An engaging, inclusive debut.” —Kirkus Reviews “In When We Were Vikings, MacDonald has written one of the most unique heroines I’ve ever read. You can’t help but root for, care about, and thoroughly enjoy Zelda and her quest to be legendary. A most-welcome and wonderful debut.” —Tyrell Johnson, author of The Wolves of Winter “The guileless Zelda, who narrates, is a joy… MacDonald avoids oversentimentality and a too-neat resolution, instead depicting Zelda’s desire to shape her own life and be the hero of her own legend with frankness and humor. Readers will be inspired by the unforgettable Zelda.” —Publishers Weekly “A quirky, heartfelt novel about an unlikely heroine — a woman who survived fetal alcohol syndrome. Her journey will leave you wanting to embark on a quest of your own.” —Saturday Evening Post “A sweet, funny, dark, roller coaster ride of a book, about two unforgettable siblings trying to help each other grow up. Zelda is an entirely original character, a young woman with a cognitive disability, trying hard to navigate life on her own terms. But it’s her loving thug of a brother, Gert, that stole my heart. A wonderful book that’s less a novel than a movement, proving we can all be heroes of our own stories.” —Lisa Gabriele, bestselling author of The Winters “In this well-written and compelling novel, MacDonald conveys Zelda’s particular challenges and succeeds in bringing her to life.” —Library Journal “It is rare that a book comes along with a character like Zelda, whose singular vision of the world transforms your own. Noble, chivalrous, wise, and true, Zelda undertakes a heroic quest that will leave you breathless and profoundly changed. When We Were Vikings is a triumph. It made my heart sing, full-throttle, like a Viking in an opera.” —Jessica Grant, author of Come Thou, Tortoise “With Zelda’s unique narrative voice in my head, When We Were Vikings made me laugh, cry, and chew my fingernails down to stubs in anticipation of what would happen next. Moving, memorable, and utterly original.” —Seira Wilson, Amazon Book Review Read more About the Author Andrew David MacDonald grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He won a Western Magazine Award for Fiction, was shortlisted for the Canadian National Magazine Award for Fiction, and his work has been anthologized in four volumes of The Journey Prize Stories, collecting the year’s best Canadian stories from emerging writers. He has an MFA from the Program for Poets and Writers at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Read more Customers Review: WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS is a book that has a very interesting premise but is potentially problematic in a lot of ways. I breezed through it pretty quickly– normally a good sign– but when I finished, I found that I had a really bad taste in my mouth. Something about the book really didn’t sit right with me. I finished the book on my lunch break and spent the rest of the day with my thoughts on the back burner, trying to figure out, what, exactly, it was about the book that rubbed me the wrong way. I think I figured out what those things are, but before I get into that, I need to tell you what the book is about.WHEN WE WERE VIKINGS is the story of Zelda, a high-functioning adult with fetal alcohol syndrome. She lives with her older brother, Gert: a man who should be in college but instead works as a runner for a local gang. Zelda, who lives her whole life by rules that make her feel more comfortable, takes umbrage with this, and when Gert’s activities get all of them into trouble, she takes it upon herself to bail her brother out.Interspersed with this are scenes of Zelda’s everyday life– she goes to an adult daycare where they teach her life skills she’ll need to take care of herself; she has a boyfriend, a developmentally disabled boy named Marxy, with whom she wants to have sex; and she also sees a therapist named Dr. Laird, who she talks to about everything else. Zelda has a narrow scope of interests, which mostly revolve around vikings and dabbing. She dabs at people to greet them, and lives her whole life to the viking credo, including talking in Ancient Norse and, later, hefting around a giant viking sword.So what didn’t I like about this book?Honestly, I’m shocked that this book has such high ratings. I’m guessing that people probably think the subject matter is brave, but I found a lot of it upsetting. First, this whole book feels incredibly exploitative in some ways. Zelda has fetal alcohol syndrome, which typically causes facial irregularities or deformatives. Zelda is quick to tell us she doesn’t have these; she’s just a small woman. All the men in this book think she is SO attractive and keep telling her how hot she is. What makes this extra icky is a big part of this book involves a subplot with Zelda wanting to have sex for the first time with her developmentally disabled boyfriend.I get that people with disabilities want to have sex, too, but making sex the major focus of Zelda’s internal and external sense of worth seemed kind of gross. When she and her boyfriend do go at it, it goes horribly, horribly wrong. It was SO cringe. The only other action she gets is from a guy she refers to as “normal” (normal meaning “not disabled”– very ableist) who only wants to use her, and a guy who attempts to rape her. So even though sex is a big part of this book, none of it works out well for Zelda. She is lusted after by virtually all male characters in this book but doesn’t really get to experience any empowering sexuality for herself– it’s all abuse and disappointment.I also felt like the whole viking and dabbing angle was really twee. It felt like an excuse to make Zelda seem precious and quirky. Like a manic pixie dream girl. She even refers to herself as a valkyrie. Everyone else in this book is super quirky too, just in case that wasn’t annoying enough. And what’s with the blurb calling this book “heart-swelling”? It’s actually really disturbing and dark and takes a pretty dismal look at how women and people with disabilities are viewed. Even Zelda, the main character, looks down her nose at her less functional peers with superiority. Yikes.Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!2.5 out of 5 stars | |
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