Heida: A Shepherd at the Edge of the World

Heida is a biographical story told in a stream of consciousness style during a year in the life of a small sheep farmer fighting against an increasingly profit driven impersonal progress-for-the-sake-of-progress machine. Originally published in 2016 in Iceland, this English translation is due out 31st March 2020 from Hatchette on their Quercus imprint, it's 320 pages and will be available in hardcover format. (Other editions available in other formats).

The prose is very spare and feels like it's been written down almost verbatim in the voice of the subject, Heida. The pacing of the conversational prose makes it *feel* like it's been translated and I think it could seem quite choppy and unpolished until readers become comfortable with it. I found her story compelling and admirable and I was rooting for her throughout the story.

I like her spirit of self-reliance and practicality as well as the utter lack of any self pity. She's unapologetically strong and willing to take steps and assume roles outside of her comfort zone in order to make a necessary change.

I found it an enjoyable but often stark look at a somewhat hard life in an difficult climate. I found the writing distracting and choppy at first but not noticeable after a while. Her story is fascinating and I enjoyed reading about it.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.