The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky

Title: The Wolf in the Whale
Author: Jordanna Max Brodsky
Genre: Historical Fiction
Published: January 29, 2019 by Redhook

A young Inuit shaman's epic quest for survival in the frozen lands of North America in 1000 AD.

Born with the soul of a hunter and the language of the gods, Omat is destined to become a shaman like her grandfather. To protect her people, she invokes the spirits of the sky, the sea, and the air.

But the gods have stopped listening, the seals won't come, and Omat's family is starving.

Desperate to save them, Omat journeys through the icy wastes, fighting for survival with every step. When she meets a Viking warrior and his strange new gods, together they set in motion a conflict that could shatter her world...or save it.

The Wolf in the Whale is a powerful tale of magic, discovery and adventure, featuring an unforgettable narrator ready to confront the gods themselves. Goodreads

My Thoughts

I received a copy from Redhook through NetGalley for review.

The Wolf in the Whale is a wonderful historical fiction with an amazing main character with a lot of adventure. The premise sounded great. I needed to check out a historical fiction of Inuit and Vikings in North America 1000 years ago. This novel really surprised me with just how magical and great it was.

The novel was well researched and included the culture, traditions, gender roles, and especially religions of not one but two groups of people 1000 years ago. The gods of the time are included as characters with sections of the novel being from some of their perspectives. This added a very magical feeling to the novel.

‘I am no longer scared of being a woman — it doesn’t make me any less a man. I am both. I am neither. I am only myself.’ This quote sums up the amazing nature of Omat, our main character. Omat has the spirit of her father in her so she has the spirit of a warrior and a shaman. Therefore, she identifies as a boy growing up, and as she grows up she identifies as both male and female. I found this supremely fascinating, and apparently this is a phenomenon that happens sometimes in Inuit culture because of their beliefs.

When the Inuit and Vikings meet Omat has to journey across the North American coast with the help of a viking for survival. These are the reasons that The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky is a historical fiction that I will never forget.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

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