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A review by thelibraryofklee
The Sealwoman's Gift by Sally Magnusson
5.0
"Love and suffering, as you may recall from your catechism, are what all worlds are founded upon."
Adjusted Goodreads synopsis:
In 1627 Barbary pirates raided the coast of Iceland and abducted some 400 of its people, including 250 from a tiny island off the mainland. Among the captives sold into slavery in Algiers were the island pastor, his wife and their three children. Although the raid itself is well documented, little is known about what happened to the women and children afterwards. It of course is another example of women's stories left in the margins of history.
In this brilliant reimagining, Magnusson gives a voice to Ásta, the pastor's wife. Enslaved in an alien Arab culture Ásta meets the loss of both her freedom and her children with the one thing she has brought from home: the stories in her head. Steeped in the sagas and folk tales of her northern homeland, she finds herself experiencing not just the separations and agonies of captivity, but the reassessments that come in any age when intelligent eyes are opened to other lives, other cultures and other kinds of love.
This book captures the beauty and power of stories and the complexity of slave trade narratives. Nothing is ever black and white, and this book challenges the idea of "evil slave traders" - don't get me wrong, there were def a few, but there were plenty of people who had to make hard decisions in horrible situations. This emotive narrative captures the power of enduring love and be prepared to cry. So if you want a piece of spectacularly heart breaking feminist historical fiction, this is for you.
"As Ásta says when one of them came to put up the tent, how can evil smile? It was a pleasant smile. That’s what had bothered Ólafur. He has not been able to dismiss the thought that a black heart producing a kind smile might, in all fairness, tend to a shade of blackness somewhat less pitch."
Adjusted Goodreads synopsis:
In 1627 Barbary pirates raided the coast of Iceland and abducted some 400 of its people, including 250 from a tiny island off the mainland. Among the captives sold into slavery in Algiers were the island pastor, his wife and their three children. Although the raid itself is well documented, little is known about what happened to the women and children afterwards. It of course is another example of women's stories left in the margins of history.
In this brilliant reimagining, Magnusson gives a voice to Ásta, the pastor's wife. Enslaved in an alien Arab culture Ásta meets the loss of both her freedom and her children with the one thing she has brought from home: the stories in her head. Steeped in the sagas and folk tales of her northern homeland, she finds herself experiencing not just the separations and agonies of captivity, but the reassessments that come in any age when intelligent eyes are opened to other lives, other cultures and other kinds of love.
This book captures the beauty and power of stories and the complexity of slave trade narratives. Nothing is ever black and white, and this book challenges the idea of "evil slave traders" - don't get me wrong, there were def a few, but there were plenty of people who had to make hard decisions in horrible situations. This emotive narrative captures the power of enduring love and be prepared to cry. So if you want a piece of spectacularly heart breaking feminist historical fiction, this is for you.
"As Ásta says when one of them came to put up the tent, how can evil smile? It was a pleasant smile. That’s what had bothered Ólafur. He has not been able to dismiss the thought that a black heart producing a kind smile might, in all fairness, tend to a shade of blackness somewhat less pitch."