I saw this book sometime last year and, having read the blurb and fallen in love with the cover, added it to my 2017 Christmas wish list. I got it, and not long after Christmas I opened it up and started it, but all the Russian names and words intimidated me a tad, and Santa had brought me so many sequels that I had been waiting on that I put it down and moved on to other things. “The next book I read will be that one,” I kept telling myself. But then of course more books by my favorite authors kept releasing and this one kept getting pushed back until, finally, I gave myself no other choice. Unlike my usual haul I bring with me on trips, I only allowed myself this one book for my week long trip to see my parents this past Thanksgiving, and I regret it. Not because I hated this book, but because I had it finished by the third night of my trip.
Unlike Greek, Norse, and Egyptian mythology and folklore, I know absolutely nothing about Russia’s bedtime stories. In fact, I know next to nothing about Russia other than the fact that most of the country is unlivable and pretty dang cold. I never cared to learn more about it, but I’ll tell you this much: Katherine Arden makes me want more.
The Bear and the Nightingale is a unique retelling of a Russian folklore that captures the beauty of knowing yourself and the horrors of following a path too blindly.
Vasilisa, or Vasya as she is more often referred to as, is the youngest of five children and grows up happily with her father, her older siblings, and her nurse, who is more of a mother to her since her own died after childbirth. While her older sister is helping around the house, attending to the mending and cleaning as expected of a woman back in the days where warmth came from fires and a poor crop season meant you would be starving come winter, Vasya is busy charting the forest, climbing trees, and doing everything she can to shirk what is expected of her.
Eventually, Vasya’s father decides to find a wife who can raise his youngest daughter and teach her the things her mother should have been able to. Since Vasya is far from being considered beautiful, Potyr must rely on her dowry and mannerisms to find her a good husband that will see she’s well cared for. Unfortunately for the man, his youngest daughter won’t make that easy. And his new wife? Well, she’s sooner see the girl shipped off or dead just like any other loving step-mother. But Vasya has more to deal with than just a hateful woman. Something dark and old in the forest surrounding them is waking, and the household spirits that are supposed to protect them are losing their powers. Vasya is the only one aware of the root of their issues, but to speak of it is to be branded a witch. She must chose to either give into what is expected of her, or find her own way and damn the consequences.
My score: 4/5
Vasya is such a fun character to read about. She’s headstrong, stubborn, and strong willed in a time where those characteristics were beaten out of girls more often than not. Her journey of coming into her own, of fighting against the status quo, is absolutely enchanting and had me flipping pages as fast as I could.
While it did take me a bit to really connect with the story and the characters–the Russian was a bit intimidating for someone who, until this book, had never had any experience with the language before–it was well worth the initial struggle. I can’t say I ever got used to mentally pronouncing the names or words, and in most cases I’m sure my idea of how it was supposed to sound was a far cry from how it actually should be, it did become easier.
Besides those tricky nouns, the only other difficulty I found in my reading was getting into the pacing of the story in terms of the writing. At times it felt choppy, or like I was reading a translation of a book that wasn’t originally written in English, but once I was able to adjust my perception on the title, I found I really enjoyed the unique voice it had.
However, this is not a casual read in my opinion. For someone who’s used to reading books set around the 21st century with a writing style reflecting that, I had to mentally prepare myself to delve into the thick story and heavy narrative. I can’t get into a lot of books with a similar style; but the plot, Vasya, and the absolutely amazing quotes scattered throughout the pages kept me hooked.
I 100% recommend this book for everyone, but especially for girls at the age where they’re trying to find themselves in the world. I’ve added the sequel to my 2018 Christmas wish list, but I promise it won’t take me until this time next year to delve back into Katherine Arden’s trilogy. I learned my lesson on that one.
Kaley Connell 