The Book Nook

A Modern Viking Heroine “When we were Vikings” is a contemporary novel by Andrew David MacDonald about a young woman’s coming of age.  In it we meet Zelda, who loves all things related to Vikings.  She knows their culture and history, is familiar with their mythology and can speak some of the language.  As the book opens, her older brother Gert has a surprise for her birthday. I won’t spoil the surprise but will say that it’s rather unorthodox although it does have a rather tenuous connection to Vikings.  Speaking of spoilers, I lack the talent to describe the plot without them, so if this will ruin your reading enjoyment, skip the next seven paragraphs. Gert enjoys making his slightly younger sister happy and not just because she’s the only family in his life.  She’s also on the fetal alcohol syndrome spectrum, and while this can pose severe limitations on navigating life, Zelda is very high functioning.  Their mother is dead, and they have no idea where their father is living.  After being orphaned they live with their uncle but leave after life with him becomes intolerable for them both. Finding an apartment and establishing house rules they can both live with is easy.  Providing a stable home life with next to no money is not.   Against all odds, had Gert won a special scholarship at the local college by writing an essay, which he refuses to let Zelda read.  He knows being a full-time student doesn’t pay the bills or give him much time to baby-sit Zelda. What Gert won’t acknowledge is that she doesn’t require a babysitter.  Her time is split between the library, where she reads about Vikings and the Community Center where she attends classes and enjoys socializing with others.  Once a week she visits a therapist to discuss how things are going in her life.  She finds comfort in her therapy sessions and in the lists she’s constantly creating. She’s very proud of her brother for getting into college when everyone thought that was impossible.  What she doesn’t know is that Gert’s financial struggles are mounting and he’s skipping classes to work as a runner for a local gang.  He knows sharing this information with Zelda would upset her and dampen the pride she takes from his pursuing a higher education. Someone else who wouldn’t be happy about Gert’s choice of criminality over college is his on-again, off-again girlfriend Annie, whom Zelda has nicknamed “AK47”.  Annie is truly fond of Zelda and continues to provide friendship and guidance regardless of the frequent changes to her relationship with Gert.  Zelda hopes they’ll reunite someday so Annie can be part of their Viking tribe. Zelda also has a boyfriend and now that she’s 21, they’ve decided that they’re ready to have sex.  Gert heartily disagrees and isn’t shy about expressing his opinions.  One day he takes her along on a job-related errand, but she doesn’t like the people she meets or how they treat her.  That and other odd clues tell her all is not well in Gert’s world. A desire for more independence propels her determination to take ever larger steps toward being the Viking hero she hopes to become.  It also causes increasing conflict between her and her brother, who makes one bad choice after another.  As Gert’s life spirals downward, Zelda steps up to the plate in ways few people thought possible.   Her courage, love for her family and refusal to accept defeat serve her well on her remarkable journey, which is supported by people who help in large and small ways. Regular readers of this column know how much I appreciate good debut novel.  I loved this one for its freshness and the balance of drama and humor.  In addition to the usual coming-of-age milestones, there’s also interesting treatment of some very serious subjects such as alcoholism and child abuse. There’s some blurring of lines between adult and young adult fiction that didn’t always work for me, but I appreciated the off-beat approach taken by the author.  There’s a light-hearted use of wit that pervades the story, as do adult language and situations.  While some reviewers recommend this book is fine for older teenagers, others claim it’s strictly an adult read, especially given the language and violence.  Parents will need to determine that for themselves. The triumph of the ending helped soften some of the broadly-sketched characters and the simplistic themes.  Thankfully the novel never became overly sentimental or presented a neat ending with a tidy bow on top.  Zelda’s character is an inspiration and I enjoyed her fearlessness and determination, whether she was helping others or becoming more independent.   I also liked her emails to a Viking expert in which she asks for advice in dealing with life, although she finds some lessons aren’t easy to learn.  One is that some important things in life can’t be put on a list or that she shouldn’t rely on heroes for answers to her problems. While her life may contain singular challenges, Zelda is wonderfully equipped for dealing with what comes her way and has the necessary instincts to not only survive but thrive in her life.  She and the book provide inspiration for those seeking a modern-day hero that we can all emulate.