Fire from the sky

Sixteen-year-old Ante, Indigenous Sami, lives with his reindeer-herding family in far northern Sweden. Ante is fiercely loyal to his homeland and can't imagine living anywhere else. But he may have no choice, for he's secretly gay and desperately in love with his oblivious best friend, Erik, who is in a committed relationship with a girl named Julia. When Ante's friends suspect he is gay, he begins a fraught relationship with a girl named Hanna (who's in love with him), hoping to persuade them he is not. Meanwhile, Ante has come out to his cousin Ida, who guesses his feelings for Erik and thinks it is obvious that Erik feels the same way about him. But how can he bring himself to tell Erik, and what would would it mean for them if he did? Originally published in Sweden, Fire from the Sky is a superb account of one boy's struggle to be himself. Åstot does an exemplary job invoking Sami culture, and an especially good job of capturing Ante's turbulent emotions, dramatically ratcheting up tension, as it is often agony for Ante to be around the friend he's so in love with. Much of Ante's experience is universal, and empathic readers will hope urgently for his happiness.

A Sámi teen wrestles with his sexuality amid tradition and homophobia in this novel translated from Swedish and set in an Indigenous Arctic community. Reindeer are everything to 16-year-old Ánte, who carries on his village's traditions with honor. That is, until Ánte realizes that his entire body trembles at the sight of his friend Erik's eyes. Soon, everything becomes about Erik--who, unfortunately, has a girlfriend. As confusion swirls within, Ánte explores an internet message board, finding a thread entitled, "Do homosexual reindeer herders exist?" Overheard conversations (including a few involving his father) reveal the community's deeply embedded homophobia, contributing to Ánte's own internalized homophobia. Leaving the village is not an option, but what if his feelings never go away? Why should Ánte have to choose in the first place? Despite the looming shadow of canonical queer tragedies in pastoral settings, debut Sámi author Åstot delicately manages to simultaneously honor tradition and push against it. The result is a rare and triumphant look at what it means for queerness to stay put, with all the messiness and pain that entails. The time-stopping emphasis on gazing and longing results in romantic tension that nearly rivals period romances, yet the story is anchored in the present. Sámi words and phrases and rich descriptions make for an immersive read. Though Ánte's queerness is isolated, an adult gay Sámi's reappearance hints at queer community. A fresh voice and a setting that's pure fire. (author's note) (Fiction. 13-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.