East Book Review

East by Edith Pattou is an absolutely stunning coming-of-age novel that puts an intriguing spin on a famous Norwegian fairy tale called “East of the Sun, West of the Moon.” As you follow Rose on her journey to save her family and discover what truly makes her “Rose”, you will encounter a talking polar bear, a girl filled with wanderlust, and a troll queen who will do anything to get what she wants.

This has been one of my favorite books for years. It has all the elements of a novel that make my heart happy. It’s a fairy tale retelling, it features a strong and loveable female lead, and there is very real and intricate character development throughout the story.

Let me tell you, I LOVE retellings of fairy tales. Novels that take classic and familiar stories and then reinvent them in new and fresh ways are so intriguing to me. Since I have Norwegian ancestry, this story really spoke to me in a special way. I have read many retellings of “East of the Sun, West of the Moon,” but East is by far my favorite. 

One thing that sets it apart for me is that the novel is told from multiple points of view. This is one of my very favorite writing styles that authors can use to structure their novels. I love getting to know the characters’ thoughts and personalities in a more intimate and personal way. 

The majority of the book is written from our protagonist’s point of view. Rose is a singularly independent and adventurous young girl. She was raised by a kind father and an extremely superstitious and rigid mother who wanted to mold Rose into her ideal daughter. Unfortunately, Rose was never one to conform. She is as free-spirited as a mountain goat. (You know, the ones that somehow scale what look like sheer cliffs?)

Rose has three great loves in her life: Exploring, weaving, and her family. Her family (particularly her mother and her older brother Neddy) finds her habit of taking off to explore incredibly worrying. But Rose is an exceedingly curious person and can’t help but pursue whatever little thing catches her interest. 

There are only a few things that can keep the spunky girl still. When her father or Neddy is telling her a story about Asgard and the gods that live there, or when she has a needle and thread in her hands. Rose loves to sew, but her true passion lies in weaving, which is a skill she mastered at a young age. 

When her family’s farm goes through several seasons of poor performance due to weather and blight, Rose and her siblings do what they can to help the family survive their financial struggles. However, when her older sister falls gravely ill, help comes from a very unexpected source. 

Faced with the choice of sacrificing herself to save her family, Rose decides to accept the help offered by the talking White Bear and follow him. While living with the White Bear, Rose’s curiosity leads her to make a choice with devastating consequences. 

Rose has the option to turn away from her mistake. To not care about the consequences of her actions, and simply go back to her loving family. She could have even blamed others for her unfair circumstances. Yet she refuses to do so. She takes responsibility for her choice. After acknowledging what she’s done wrong, she battles her way through obstacles both great and small while forging towards fixing her mistake, and you can’t help but root for her. 

As you read East, you’ll come to see that no matter how hopeless a situation may appear, there is always a way to overcome your challenges. Whether that’s from pushing through with your own power, or relying on the people around you and learning from them. Rose’s journey from child to naive young adult to a determined and creative woman is an absolute joy to behold. I can guarantee that if you give this masterpiece of a novel a try, you will experience more than one thrilling heart flutter, where you may think there’s no way Rose could ever have a happy ending. But there will also be many calm and gentle heart flutters that bring you peace and hope. 

Do you have a favorite retold fairy tale novel? Thank you for reading my review! Have a fluttery day.