Have you ever had those vague memories of a movie you saw as a kid, but you couldn’t remember the name or much of the synopsis if your life depended on it? Well it happens to me quite a bit. Imagine my surprise when I read the blurb of Edith Pattou’s East and had a movie memory spring to mind. I saw The Polar Bear King as a child and remember loving it, but don’t remember much about the actual movie, apart from a polar bear who turned into a human by night and the girl who saved him from a witch’s curse. East reintroduced the story to me, and I’m not surprised why I liked it so much, as it’s very close to Beauty and the Beast, my all-time favorite fairy tale.
Based on an old Norse fairy tale (East of the Sun and West of the Moon), East follows Ebba Rose, the youngest daughter to a 17th Century Norse mapmaker. Born to wander–literally, she was born facing North, making her a wanderer according to her superstitious mother–it’s no surprise that she is soon intrigued by a giant white bear who turns up near her home from time to time. One night, the bear visits her family, requesting that Rose become his companion. In return, her family’s recent dire straits–a sick sibling and a failing farm–will be reversed. Against her family’s wishes, Rose goes with the white bear to his castle in the side of a mountain. There she is cared for and given everything she wishes, including a giant loom where she weaves three extraordinary dresses.
Unfortunately, Rose’s curiosity gets the best of her and she is compelled to see the mysterious creature who visits her each night in complete darkness. Given a special candle by her mother, Rose sees her visitor for the first time–a young man with golden curls and a sad face–and promptly loses him. As a child, the young man had a curse laid upon him by a troll king, dooming him to walk the days as a polar bear and the nights as a human, until he finds a maiden who can live with him for one year’s time without seeing his human face. Since Rose was one month shy of the one year mark, her white bear is taken “east of the sun and west of the moon” to the land of the trolls, never to see humans again. Rose being the spirited girl she is and refusing to let him be punished for her error, travels to the ends of the earth to release the man from his bonds. Being a fairy tale, I’m sure you know how it ends, but I won’t give away the specifics.
Pattou’s tale is an engaging read. Written in a slightly nontraditional format, the novel is narrated by five beings in turn–Rose, her brother Neddy, her father, the white bear, and the troll queen. Rose tells the main tale, with Neddy and her father chiming in with some background on the family. On the flip side is the troll queen’s story, written in journal format, giving a slightly sympathetic view of her character and the trolls in general.
Although all are well-written, I particularly enjoyed Pattou’s use of poetry for the voice of the white bear. I’m not much of a poetry fan, but poetry’s concise language and high use of imagery fits with how a human-turned-bear might think. The bear can speak to the other characters, but it’s extremely difficult for him, thus it makes sense that his human thoughts might also be slowed inside the brain of a bear. Even putting the bear’s narrative aside, Pattou does a wonderful job giving each character her/his own voice and perspective.
Another positive aspect of the book is the change in views on women from the original fairy tale. East of the Sun and West of the Moon tends to see women more as the pawns of politics rather than the makers of their own destinies. In Pattau’s version, however, the women make the majority of the choices (good and bad). In the original tale, the young woman is given to the bear by her father without much hesitation, and she accepts her new situation without a great deal of fuss. Rose’s character, however, leaves with the bear against her family’s wishes, but does not become complacent in her new life. She questions why she is there and who or what the creature is that comes to her room each night. She shows compassion toward both the night visitor and the white bear, but still wishes for her own comforts. When the white bear is taken from her, she does not hesitate to follow, even while knowing the journey will be next to impossible.
The troll queen, too, portrays a strong female figure. Far from portraying an evil sorceress, she is more a spoiled young princess who falls in love with the human prince whom she kidnaps. Her father, the troll king, curses the prince into the white bear and sends him away. Being a spoiled girl, the troll princess/queen could have spent her time moping and complaining, settling in with the fate she had been dealt, but she refuses, instead turning into a great leader and sorceress. She bides her time, waiting for the curse to end so that she may marry her prince.
No, the men are the true pawns in this feminist tale. The young prince, a mere boy, is turned into a bear before he knows what’s going on, Rose’s father loses his mapmaking business, and Neddy sits by watching his sister turn into a wanderer (all the while worrying about her). None of these men do much to fix their situations (though understandably there’s not much a cursed bear can do), instead letting the chips fall as they may.
As far as shortcomings, none stick out particularly for this tale. I’m not calling it a perfect book, but the overall cohesiveness of the story keeps any errors from rising to prominance. Perhaps a better critic than I could find the problems this book suffers from, but I enjoyed the story enough that I’d rather focus on the good. If you’re a fan of fairy tales and fantasy, you’ll love this book. If you enjoy multiple perspective narratives, read this tale. If you’re looking for a change in genre, this will be a nice little romp for you. If you’re wanting a history on 17th Century Norway . . . check out the non-fiction section of the library . . .
Age recommendation: 12+ or experienced readers
Rating: 7.5 out of 10 stars
Reviewed by: Meagan
Quixoticirony 