It is 1852, and in Sweden's far north, deep in the Arctic Circle, charismatic preacher and Revivalist Lars Levi Læstadius impassions a poverty-stricken congregation with visions of salvation. But local leaders have reason to resist a shift to temperance over alcohol.
Jussi, the young Sami boy Læstadius has rescued from destitution and abuse, becomes the preacher's faithful disciple on long botanical treks to explore the flora and fauna. Læstadius also teaches him to read and write - and to love and fear God.
When a milkmaid goes missing deep in the forest, the locals suspect a predatory bear is at large. A second girl is attacked, and the sheriff is quick to offer a reward for the bear's capture. Using early forensics and Daguerrotype, Læstadius and Jussi find clues that point to a far worse killer on the loose, even as they are unaware of the evil closing in around them.
To Cook a Bear explores how communities turn inwards, how superstition can turn to violence, and how the power of language can be transformative in a richly fascinating mystery.
***
I woke to a complete absence of sound in a world biding its time before coming to life. 1
***
(@maclehosepress, 3 September 2020, 464 pages, ebook, copy from the publisher via # NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed, translated by Deborah Bragan-Turner)
***
***
I've heard good things about this book and really wanted to read it. The title intrigued me. I didn't realise until I'd almost finished the book that it features an actual historical figure, Lars Levi Laestadius, someone I know nothing about so I have no idea how close the book is to facts. I found this a fascinating, well researched and completely absorbing book. The characters are very well written. The book is set in a rural community full of the expected divisions, paranoia and suspicions. This works really well for the events that take place in the book. There is so much injustice in the book, for example a bear family are hunted, killed, cooked and eaten by frenzied locals because they believe it killed a woman, Hilda. It didn't and quite how the state of her body let to the belief it was a bear attack is beyond me. This is a powerful, gripping read.
