Till träden review

A central concern of the narrative is the need for a sense of belonging. This is explored primarily through what the narrator feels is missing in her life. The recent loss of Adam is something she feels keenly. Memories of him surface frequently, to the point where it seems he is never really out of her thoughts. Being with him felt right, and she often thinks or dreams about him as though they’re still a couple.

But as the narrative progresses it becomes clear that more crucial to her personal identity and her need to belong are the language and culture she feels have been withheld from her. Her father speaks a Sámi language, but at home the family speaks Swedish, mainly because the mother is not Sámi. Yet the older siblings have learnt the language, and this daughter has always wondered why her father didn’t teach her. She deeply regrets, indeed resents, this omission. She herself has tried to fill the gap, using books and apps, and is upset and offended when he corrects her word choices and pronunciation. She craves approval and praise from her father, so is hesitant to discuss this matter with him, until now, in the hut, and even then it is only when their isolation is nearly over that she raises it.

The narrator lives with chronic pain, which has never been diagnosed, as well as with specific fears and a more general anxiety. At one point she comments that putting up with pain is pretty much the only thing she’s good at. Throughout the narrative, when she feels the familiar pain she immediately thinks of Adam’s care and attention when they were together.

The structure of the novel plays a significant part in the reader’s understanding of the issues explored. With access to only the narrator’s own assessment of her attributes, the reader needs the context of past experiences: still her own version, but introducing the views and actions of other people. And the overall picture reveals to the reader that the narrator is in fact rather a strong woman. Although she is fearful, she takes this risky trip with her father. Although her heart is broken, she moves on in her life without Adam, and continues her studies. Although she feels her Sámi heritage has been denied to her, she perseveres in her attempts to learn about the culture and language. At one point she suggests to her father that she should follow in his footsteps and work with reindeer – again, she is fearful, beginning so far behind others of her generation, but prepared to consider it nonetheless. Her father reminds her about her studies in psychology, clearly encouraging her to do what she really wants with her life.

In some ways this is a sad story, with the sense of loss, things not said, said too late, and lack of real rapport when it was most needed. But it is also optimistic, as the channels of communication start to open, and, as the storm lifts and father and daughter are rescued, the sense that their relationship will be stronger and closer in the future.