The Sealwoman’s Gift by Sally Magnusson

A venture into fiction from Sally Magnusson (daughter of Magnus Magnusson of Mastermind fame) as she gets in touch with her Icelandic roots, which makes for very original reading. Based on events in 1627 when Barbary pirates raided the Icelandic coast abducting large numbers of locals and selling them in the north African slave markets. We follow the fortunes of one woman in particular, Asta the wife of the local preacher. Godfearing and lacking in experience of the world, Asta finds all her beliefs tested as she gives birth on the slave ship. Reaching Algiers, half way across the world, she watches her community scattered and mistreated, her family broken, many of them converting to the Muslim faith to survive. It is an extraordinary story of loss and strength, and the contrasting setting of Icelandic bitter-cold poverty against tropical balm and fruitfulness is beautifully described. Although a famous event in Iceland, this slave-trade is not much known outside and the book makes for evocative reading. Asta’s husband Olafur is tirelessly working to raise funds from a depleted island to pay the hostage ransom for his family’s return, but we, as readers allowed to know more, fear that even if he succeeds, it may not be the homecoming he wishes. Asta has a fondness for Icelandic myth, telling and retelling stories in the narrative, but even so, the book title seems somewhat adrift. But a wonderful read.