January 3, 2007

White Out

“Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name,” by Vendela Vida

There’s a reason the Eskimos have a thousand words for snow. They’ve got to do something to forget how friggin’ cold it is outside.

Just ask Clarissa Iverton, the main character of Vendela Vida’s graceful sophomore novel, Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name.

When her father dies, Clarissa learns that he was not her biological dad. Her mom having been absent since she was 14, the only clue to her identity is the name of a priest living above the Arctic Circle. Ditching her fiancé in New York, she travels to the ice hotels of Lapland and into the world of the indigenous Sami tribe — where the mystery of her conception is revealed.

The landscapes of Northern Scandinavia create a chilly backdrop to the winter of Clarissa’s discontent — a mood that culminates in a reunion with her estranged mother.

Needless to say, it’s anything but warm and fuzzy.

So brace yourself with a cup of hot cocoa.

Available online at amazon.com.