Elska
As a kid I read a ridiculous number of horse books, but in the past two decades I can’t think of even one equine-related work of fiction written for an adult that has crossed my path. How can this be? Oh sure, there’s at least one mystery series that would fit the bill, but I just can’t bring myself to embrace this genre for some reason (probably because I don’t find reading about grisly murders to be the least bit entertaining and am prone to terrifying nightmares.) The new Horse Diaries series, of which Elska is the first book, fulfilled a quest I hadn’t even realized I was on. True, it is technically a children’s work, but I can’t afford to be picky when facing such a dearth of alternatives. (And as you may have noticed, I have no qualms about spending a vast portion of my free time reading kids’ books.)
Elska is set in medieval Iceland and told entirely from one horse’s point of view. The author’s storytelling ability is notable, and she provides plenty of fascinating historical facts throughout the diary and in the appendix. The reader can definitely identify with Elska’s emotions and conflicts regarding dealing with change and a lack of control in her life, but at the same time she is not anthropomorphized too much. The text is illustrated with lovely pencil drawings by Ruth Sanderson, whose amazing artwork I had encountered earlier in the exquisite picture book Papa Gatto and on the covers of my paperback editions of The Black Stallion series from the early 80s. I particularly enjoyed this book since I’m half Norwegian and find anything about Vikings intrinsically interesting, plus the Icelandic Horse has been one of my favorite breeds for decades and my current dream trip is to tour this island.
Wow, thank you so much!