Starred review from May 26, 2008
Theology is on trial in this extraordinary first novel, which alternates between courtroom transcripts and a first-person account by the heroine, Aslaug, prosecuted for murders allegedly committed when she was 15. Carefully peeling back the facts entered in court, Meldrum lyrically describes Aslaug's isolated upbringing by the solitary Maren, a Danish polymath who educates Aslaug in science and languages—and in the medicinal value of the plants they collect near their Maine home; as Aslaug's story begins, Maren retreats into the hallucinatory powers of jimsonweed, or madapple, and dies without telling Aslaug the identity of her father. Flung into the contemporary world, Aslaug finds Maren's sister, a charismatic preacher, and her children, then hears explosive secrets about her conception, including Maren's claim never to have had a lover. Before long, Aslaug, too, is pregnant, and struggling to piece together her cousins' conflicting views of Maren's research into virgin births and pre-Christian messiahs. The author's timing is impeccable: her courtroom revelations advance the narrative while altering readers' perceptions of events, and Aslaug's ruminations force readers to question all they take in. Audiences will need some intellectual mettle for the densely seeded ideas, but they won't be able to stop reading. Ages 14–up.
Starred review from July 1, 2008
Gr 9 Up-In Bethan, ME, 1987, Maren is pregnant; she claims that she is still a virgin. The story of her daughter, Aslaug, follows. She is raised by her severe mother in isolation. Her homeschooling, which includes multiple languages, religious studies, and herbology, excludes much more than it includes. Then, in 2003, Maren dies, and Aslaug discovers that she has an aunt and cousins nearby and begins living with them. She is simultaneously fascinated and confused by her discoveries of social interactions and how the world functions. Fast paced and suspenseful, Meldrum's novel deftly and subtly maintains tension by judiciously revealing key plot points. Aslaug narrates events from 2003 and 2004, which come back to haunt her in 2007, when she finds herself on trial for the murders of her aunt and cousin. Her story fills in gaps and masterfully manipulates perspective, ingeniously pointing out how everything can change depending on one's point of view. Chapters on the courtroom trial alternate with Aslaug's account, which leads up to the deaths. Deep examination of religion and science and how they intersect pervade the text in an exploratory and informative way. The inclusion of rape and poisoning lends darkness and weight to Aslaug's already intense experience. Filled with herbal imagery and nomenclature, the descriptions, both beautiful and surprising, paired with the expert control of pacing, make for a riveting and mind-opening experience."Amy J. Chow, New York Public Library"
Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from April 1, 2008
Aslaug lives in isolation; the flowers and plants that her mother, Maren, uses to make their lives possible are more real to her than the outside world. Then Maren dies, and Aslaug makes her way to the nearby Maine town, where she finds her aunt Sara and teenage cousins Susanne and Rune. Aslaug hopes they will have a clue to her fathers identity; she learns, as readers already have, that Maren proclaimed Aslaug a virgin birth. Aunt Sara, a charismatic preacher, wants none of this. But Susanne, enthralled with the writings of esoteric religionists and pagans, believes this is a possibility, while Rune is just enthralled with Aslaug herself. Then Aslaug finds herself pregnant, and divine intervention is once more a possibility. Plot summary does little justice to this haunting book, which is as much mysticism as it is story. Meldrum plunges deeply into the nature of reality. She uses language in a particularly arresting way, with the leaves and petals of the plants that are so much a part of Aslaugs life shimmering over the pages. If all this wasnt satisfaction enough, Meldrum, a litigator, mixes faith and science with a solid mystery, told in the transcripts of a trial in which Aslaug is the defendant. There is much to ponder in this enthralling achievement from a debut author.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)
May 1, 2008
In a stellar debut novel that explores the nexus between the natural world and the spiritual realm, Meldrum spins a mesmerizing story about a sixteen-year-old girl, Aslaug, who believes she was born of a virgin. Raised in a reclusive and restrictive environment, homeschooled by her eccentric Danish mother, Aslaug learns several languages and lots of herbology but very little about common school subjects and nothing at all about the religious texts that her mother pores over. When her mother dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances, Aslaug leaves her small Maine community to live with her aunt, who is running a Pentecostal church in a nearby town. As dark family secrets are revealed, the tension escalates; eventually, a fire destroys the church, claiming the lives of her aunt and cousin, and Aslaug is the chief suspect. Her account of events, rich in lyricism and imagery, is juxtaposed with spare courtroom transcripts. The interplay between the two narratives is particularly effective at foreshadowing and generating suspense, while the stimulating exploration of religion and mythology adds thematic depth.
(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
July 1, 2008
Sixteen-year-old Aslaug believes she was born of a virgin. After her mother dies suddenly, she goes to live with her aunt. Aslaug becomes the chief suspect when her aunt and cousin perish in a fire. Her lyrical account of events is juxtaposed with spare courtroom transcripts. The interplay between the narratives generates suspense, while the exploration of religion and mythology adds depth.
(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)