If you enjoy fairy tale odysseys, try O’Neill’s new novel. When the Enemy take control of the Capital of a tiny, obscure European country, Clara, a writer, sends her daughter, Sofia, to the country with her latest manuscript. Sofia meets a talking goose and they become travelling companions. Sofia looks back on her life with Clara, hoping to find love. After losing the manuscript, she searches for the Black Market, in hopes of finding the document. This is a dark, well written novel of myths and a search for love.

Heather O'Neill writes like no one else! While I'm not sure if this is my new favorite (that honor still goes to The lonely hearts hotel), I still really, really enjoyed this dark fantasy fairy tale set in a fictional country being invaded where all the writers are being targeted. With a complicated mother-daughter relationship, a talking goose and a young girl tasked with getting her mother's manifesto out of the country before it can be burned, this is an adventurous tale with tons of Grimm Brothers and Lewis Caroll vibes. Beautifully and intelligently written, I loved getting to see the author talk about this latest book in person and explain some of its origins. Good on audio too! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

The Capital of Dreams is the first book I’ve read by Heather O’Neill, but now I know it won’t be the last. I fell in love with this beautiful and haunting fairytale about survival, imagination, and art. Our protagonist Sofia Bottom, lives in a small country that Europe has forgotten - a country full of old myths about trees that come alive, and faeries who live in their roots, myths that have given rise to an explosion of arts and philosophy. No one, however, is as revered as Sofia’s brilliant mother, feminist writer Clara Bottom. When the country’s nameless enemy invades, and the Capital is under threat, Clara turns to her daughter to have her smuggle her new manuscript to safety on the last train evacuating children from the city. But when the train suspiciously stops in the middle of a forest, Sofia must run for her life, losing her mother’s most prized possession on her way. Now, frightened and alone, but for a talking goose companion, Sofia must find a way to reclaim what she’s lost, and choose between kindness and survival.

This was a brilliant, imaginative and devastating fable, unlike anything I’d read before. It was charming, and heartbreaking, all at once, and I couldn’t put it down. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it, and I tore through it in a day. This novel masterfully explores the complicated relationships between success and love, mothers and daughters, art and resistance. It was peculiar, thoughtful, and unique, full of fantastical elements. Despite this, like any fable, its lessons and stories were easy to apply to our own every-day lives. Frankly, reading a book about a country being invaded and destroyed, but finding resistance through pockets of art and kindness was incredibly timely, as we see Palestinian people also find resistance, love, joy, and kindness through their own experiences of being invaded and destroyed by opposing forces. This book was brilliant, and I can't say enough good things about it.

I recommend this book to all fans of historical fiction and fantasy. The Capital of Dreams follows 14-year-old Sofia as she learns to fend for herself during wartime. The story conveys the confusing feelings that come with growing up in an uncertain world. It’s sad, but heartwarming, whimsical, but sensible. Amid tragedy, Sofia clings to her sense of wonder and finds comfort in the stories from her childhood. With its multiple metaphors and motifs, this introspective story kept reminding me of fairytales. The Capital of Dreams exceeded my expectations and further confirmed that O’Neill is a master in writing beautiful and emotional coming-of-age stories.

I will read anything Heather O’Neill writes, she has such a knack for female voices especially those coming of age, makes me wonder the curiosities of her own childhood.

The Capital of Dreams felt like a very relevant and timely read, there were themes and parallels to what’s going on in Gaza right now, lots about humanity, women and children, the importance of art and stories, of relationships and what it means to grow up amongst chaos.

A marvel of a story.

This was incredibly different from anything I’ve read lately. The unnamed “Enemy” and “Capital” made the story feel like it could be anywhere, in any timeline- which I guess was the point. Light on the fairytale aspect, the darkness was certainly there. This was heavy but told in a lighthearted way that was almost horrifying ? I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Canada for the arc!

Do you ever reach an ending of a book and think "wow this is gonna mess me up for awhile."

The Capital of Dreams is a fantastical fairy tale that follows Sofia as she tries to make her way to the black market after being sent away to the country by her mother. She has to navigate the world with her talking goose companion while keeping them both alive during a war in which their forgotten country is occupied.

It expertly shows the nuance of mother/daughter relationships, coping mechanisms, and the realities of war. Heather O'Neill lets us live in Sofia's fantasy world without shying away from the more gruesome details. It's another literary tale from O'Neill of unfortunates and survival. Definitely recommend.