Moving from modern-day Manhattan to the icy arctic of second-century Northern Canada, Jordanna Max Brodsky tells the epic tale of an Inuit girl born with the soul of a man. Omat's destiny is decided the night her widowed mother dies while giving birth to her. The Inuit believe a baby comes into the world with the soul of an ancestor, and Omat's is her brave hunter father. That soul, combined with the spirit of a wolf, means she is destined to succeed her grandfather and lead her tribe as their angakkuit, or shaman.
However, Omat's tribe is isolated in the frozen wilderness, and their food supplies are dwindling. They are slowly starving with no help in sight. When Omat's tribe encounters another nomadic Inuit group, they celebrate, hoping their newfound friends will help things change for the better. In reality they bring deception and evil, then carry Omat away, where she ultimately encounters a band of Viking warriors and even greater consequences. All along her journey, Omat fights for her survival and the survival of her tribe, putting to the test the true strength of both her body and soul.
Brodsky's examination of gender and gender roles in the ancient Inuit tribe is dynamic and layered, challenging readers' traditional conceptions of male and female. Likewise, the human relationship with nature is dissected through the tribe's taboos, their rituals and the way they live. Meticulously researched to bring the audience as close to her magical realm as possible, The Wolf in the Whale is suspenseful, engaging and thought-provoking. --Jen Forbus