Midwinterblood

Midwinterblood, Marcus Sedgwick, 262 pages, audiobook length 05:50:00

A reporter from the mainland investigates rumors of an island where people live unnaturally long lives. Two children are told a ghost story about a forbidden love. A pilot hides from the enemy army in a small farmhouse. The Viking chief’s brother returns after a long exile. A young girl befriends an elderly painter. An archaeologist discovers something wonderful and something horrible. A king sacrifices himself so that his people will not starve. Seven interconnected stories, reminiscent of David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas, span from the near future to the immemorial past, all set on the Norse island of Blessed, where the mysterious dragon orchid blooms.

I went into Midwinterblood knowing absolutely nothing, so the short-story-esque format threw me off at first, and it took me a while to get into the swing of things. Although each chapter is indeed quite short, the book still feels like it takes its time, slowly circling around its thesis, and I wish each story had had more in common with the others, more parallels and interconnectedness. When all is said and done, though, I enjoyed the story and the format quite a bit. I would recommend Midwinterblood for someone seeking an abstract, artistic, and atmospheric novel, rather than someone hoping for a more traditional overall plot.