The Reckless Kind

August 15, 2021
Three young Scandinavians seek ways to live nontraditionally. Set in a small village in an unspecified Nordic country in 1904, this story is narrated by 18-year-olds Asta and Erlend. Asta is engaged to be married but is not sure she wants to marry her intended--or anyone at all. Half French Erlend is a promising young actor willing to give it all up (a romantic move but perhaps not the best life lesson) to be with handsome outcast Gunnar. The plot is engaging, but the real magic lies in the characters and their relationships. Each has a condition that they struggle with to varying degrees: asexual Asta has Waardenburg syndrome; Gunnar has a partial arm amputation, a spinal injury, and depression; Erlend has anxiety and ulcers. (Heath is careful to avoid anachronism by eschewing labels or diagnoses that would not have been available to individuals at the time.) Their disabilities have a material impact on their lives--and on the story--but, crucially, don't define them. The author explores their experiences with care and reminds readers that no one is "perfect"; the line between able and disabled is socially constructed and movable. Although the characters face discrimination for their queerness, they also find love and support that are uplifting without being excessively idealistic. Perrin's Norwegian rosemaling-style art enhances the opening page of each chapter. A tender tale of queer love, disability, and self-discovery. (historical and medical notes) (Historical fiction. 14-18)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 11, 2021
Heath’s debut unfolds against the vividly drawn backdrop of 1904 Norway, tracing the lives of three teens intent on finding their own way. Born with Waardenburg syndrome, asexual Asta Hedstrom, 18, has been taught that she should be grateful for her betrothal to Nils, a local man willing to overlook her “flaws.” Though she wants only to continue acting in the village theater, she resigns herself to her fate, until Nils attacks her best friend, Gunnar, in a fit of jealousy. The moment of violence forces Asta to acknowledge the truth: she cannot marry Nils. Instead, she moves with Gunnar, who has depression as well as a spinal injury and a partial arm amputation, and his half-French boyfriend, Erlend, whose anxiety is causing ulcers, to an isolated cabin. But to maintain their freedom, the trio must first win the village’s annual horse race—and its 2,000-kroner prize. In a book that frequently focuses on relationships over narrative tension, smooth writing brings the historical background to life while, through Asta and Gunnar’s dual narration, delicately exploring themes of disability, independence, found family, and various forms of love. Elegant, folk-style illustrations by Perrin top each chapter; “Historical and Medical Notes” contextualize “the limitations of the language of the time” vis-à-vis representation. Ages 14–up. Agent: Stephen Chudney, the Chudney Agency.

November 1, 2021
Grades 9-12 In 1904, off the coast of Norway, 18-year-old Asta escapes a marriage to her repulsive betrothed, leaving her best friend, Gunnar, with a serious injury, and the two find a new home with Gunnar's secret boyfriend, Erland. As outcasts from their traditional small town, the queerplatonic trio determine to win the annual Christmas race in order to save Gunnar's family farm. Debut author Heath manages to tackle a number of topics in this historical novel, exploring themes of identity, found family, sexuality, and disability. Additionally, asexual Asta has Waardenburg syndrome, Gunnar struggles with depression after a partial arm amputation, and Erland shows signs of anxiety. The historical details and cast of characters keep the momentum going, and the plot never feels heavy-handed. A great addition for inclusive coming-of-age stories and found family where the characters are not defined by what makes them different.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 1, 2021

Gr 9 Up-It's 1904, near the Norwegian Sea, and budding actress Asta's parents think that because of her single-sided deafness, she should marry horrid Nils. Asta, however, longs for queer-platonic intimacy beyond marriage with her one-armed best friend Gunnar and his secret boyfriend, the young theater director Erlend. When jealous Nils attacks and wounds Gunnar, the three friends flee to a remote farm. They abandon the theater, and their solution to financial precarity is for Asta to train as a farrier, tame a wild horse, and win a Christmas sleigh race. This emotionally grounded queer fairy tale is anchored by Asta and Erlend's attempts to protect their shared object of desire. Asta is mischievous and scrappy; Erlend is princely. Both the blindness of his privilege and his greatness of heart allow him to abandon luxury for love. And Gunnar? Using Asta and Erlund-but not Gunnar-as narrators produces surprising revelations. The book excels when depicting Gunnar's life with chronic pain, without miraculous cures. The writing and description are vivid; however, there's an ambiguity as to whether Asta lives in a historical or a semi-fantastical context. The afterword provides useful information on the novel's representation of medical conditions, yet sources for local details like Valkyrie sapphires and marriage horses would be enriching, not to mention information on the period's queer culture. VERDICT This work will tug the heartstrings of anyone who loved Mackenzi Lee's The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue and wished Frozen lived up to its queer potential.-Katherine Magyarody, Texas A&M Univ., College Station

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.