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Product Description
A powerful novel about the meeting of two very different cultures in fifteenth-century Greenland
For several years, the Inuits in Greenland, the "Human Beings," as they call themselves, have suffered from unusually hard winters that do not let up even in what should be summertime. Navarana, a young Inuit woman, has lost both her parents to these terrible times of starvation and desperation. She decides to become a hunter and a shaman, a spirit guide, to help her people. Then she accidentally finds and reluctantly saves a stranger, Brendan, a young Irish monk. He has come to Greenland to help the Christian community and convert the "heathens." But the Christian community has disintegrated and, one by one, his fellow monks have died. Both proud and stubborn, Brendan and Navarana are immediately at odds. Gradually, however, as they learn more about each other, they develop a mutual respect. And Brendan is chosen to accompany Navarana on her perilous journey to bring back the sun.
Amazon.com Review
"There are more than two worlds between them.... When would they see that they were two parts of a whole?" Norwegian author Mette Newth's third novel is the exquisitely written story of a Christian and a pagan who battle the elements, conflicting beliefs, and each other before realizing that the Great Mother (or Father) had always meant for them to be together. Brendan is a young Irish monk who has been charged to convert the heathen souls of 15th century Greenland. But his zealous heart has been no match for the freezing environment, and he is the last one left alive in his small Christian outpost. Enter Navarana, an Inuit shaman in training who is searching for food for her starving tribe. She happens upon the unconscious Brendan and against her better judgment, saves his life. The two are bound together and at the advice of a village elder, go on a mission to seek the missing sun, which has not shone with any regularity for three long seasons. On this journey, they share mental and physical trials that transform them from argumentative loners into soul mates believing in the same vision.
Newth's young adult novels are simply remarkable. Her writing transports readers to a world beyond imagination, where she makes them feel every joy and pain of her deftly drawn characters. The Transformation illustrates the principle of ethnic and religious tolerance in a way that is neither preachy nor sappy, and many teens will be stunned to realize that this contemporary problem has such a long past. This is an unforgettable tale from an amazingly gifted author. (Ages 13 and older) --Jennifer Hubert
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