Edith Pattou’s East first came to my attention when I was browsing through the very small YA section of my university’s library. After writing my thesis on “Beauty and the Beast,” I became fascinated by the many versions of the tale and the retellings thereof. I had never heard of “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” until a fellow lit student mentioned it; I was just starting my research for my thesis and was immersing myself in every version of the “Beauty and the Beast” that I could find. East is Pattou’s extraordinary retelling of the Norse fairy tale.
East begins with the mysterious contents of a box found in an old attic. The discovery reveals a series of objects and a selection of writings–a record of a most fantastical journey to the ends of the world and beyond.
Eugenia knows that she will have seven children, as surely as she knows that the sun will rise in the east. One child for each point of the compass rose, except North. Her husband does not put much stock in her superstitious beliefs regarding birth-directions, but he humors his wife and shares in the joys of family life; what does it matter the direction a child is facing when they are born? Seven children are born and Eugenia’s wish is met, until one of the girls is lost. There must be an East in the family and Eugenia will do whatever she must to ensure that this is so, even lie.
Ebba Rose, Ebba for East, is born to replace Elise. She knows this and finds it difficult to replace her patient, East-born sister when she feels a constant restlessness and desire for adventure. Rose dreams of the adventures that she will have in the company of her imaginary white-bear, but what if the adventure is more than a dream?
Rose’s tale is told by five distinct voices: Rose, her brother Neddy, her father, the White Bear, and the Troll Queen, each adding a different perspective to the narrative. The voices blend together seamlessly to add depth to the tale, resulting in what is one of the best fairy tale retellings I have read since Robin McKinley’s Beauty and Rose Daughter.
Rose is a brave and strong-willed heroine, her character developing as she journeys to the frozen north on a quest to find the land that does not exist. The story is comparable to Cupid and Psyche, Orpheus and Eurydice, and Beauty and the Beast. The combination of myth and realism make Rose’s tale stand out as a sort of history of events; the reader almost imagines that these events might have happened.
From beginning to end, I was enchanted by the novel and could not put it down! I was almost sad to reach the end and know that the story was over, but like the best of fairy tales, I know that this is a story that I will return to again and again.
My copy of East was a gift from Amanda of The Zen Leaf during the Book Lovers Secret Santa gift exchange.
Tags: beauty and the beast, east, edith pattou, fairy tales, norse mythology, retellings
I’m so glad it turned out to be good! I felt bad because I looked over the list of books you wanted and could only find a couple. I’d really hoped this one would turn out to be a winner for you.
It certainly was! Thank you
I loved this book too! Amanda picked well
She sure did; I became so absorbed in the tale.
I just finished reading this book. I’ve never had a terrible experience reading a fairytale re-telling – they’ve always somehow been my comfort reads.