A fascinating read for this American who had no idea of the life these reindeer herders lead and the past injustices done to them, so similar to the treatment of indigenous people in America and Canada as well. Why is it that we feel a need to wipe out a culture, I wonder? The story of five children follows their lives focusing on two periods of life. The translator left a lot of words in the language they were written and while I appreciated that, I found myself often wanting to know exactly what they meant and turning to the internet to learn more about the Sámi. And that isn't a bad thing. So, this book asks a bit from its readers. Also, not a bad thing. It's a unique read that sheds light on a different culture and for me, that is always a desirable quality in a book. I was also spurred on to watch the Netflix film based on the author's other book, Stolen.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It's a whole other world and one worth knowing.

None of the five Sámi in Ann-Helén Laestadius’s heartbreaking novel, Punished, want to go to the nomad school in Kiruna. Else-Maj, Marge, Anne-Risten, Jon-Ante, and Nilsa have heard stories about how awful it is there. They’re not allowed to speak their language; they must speak Swedish, even if they don’t know it. They can only go home during breaks. Worst of all is Rita Olsson, the housemother, who loathes the Sámi. In chapters set in the early 1950s and the early to mid-1980s, Laestadius shows us how the abuse these children suffer under Olsson’s “care” and its longterm effects. Rachel Willson-Broyles beautifully translated this moving, harrowing novel.

The first chapters of Punished take us back to the Kiruna nomad school. It’s not everyone’s first day. Nilsa, Marge, and Anne-Risten have been there at least a year and are familiar with the hair-trigger temper of Rita Olsson. Marge and Anne-Risten help Else-Maj learn the rules and Swedish as quickly as possible. Jon-Ante, sadly, is bullied by Nilsa and Rita. Not all of the teachers at the school are bad. Some of the staff know that the way the children are treated is terrible, but they don’t act, either because they don’t have direct proof or because they’re afraid of Rita themselves. In later chapters, we learn that some changes are made to make things better but these struck me as feeble responses to the way our protagonists and the other Sámi children were treated.

The chapters in the 1980s were, if anything, harder for me to read because Anne-Risten, Marge, Jon-Ante, Nilsa, and Else-Maj are carrying the weight of what happened to them without ever sharing their burdens with their loved ones. Anne-Risten and Marge assimilate into Swedish culture (wholly or partly) to avoid lingering racism. Jon-Ante aches to join his family as they herd reindeer. Nilsa only knows how to “toughen up” his children so that no one will physically hurt them. And Else-Maj does her best to live as traditional a life as possible, even though her oldest child just wants to be an ordinary Swedish teenager. And then, into the middle of this, Rita Olssen reappears. Even though she’s physically helpless by the 1980s, Rita still strikes bone-deep terror into the people who remember what she was capable of.

Reading Punished made me feel like a witness, rather than just a reader. I don’t say this because what Rita Olsson does is criminal but also because there are so many places where I wished that I could intervene in the action. Some of the characters, like Marge and Anne-Risten and Jon-Ante, I want to rescue. I want to warn others about the barely-suppressed anger in Nilsa. And I want to let Else-Maj know that she is magnificent and fierce in her dedication to keeping all things Sámi alive—but also that the surest way to piss off a teenage daughter is to force her to follow in her mother’s footsteps before she has a chance to find herself. And I want to help all of them testify against Rita Olsson, so that she can never hurt anyone ever again. We don’t get to see how some of these characters’ stories end. The end of Punished gives the sense that they all carry on: some happy, some miserable, some merely continuing. I know some readers don’t like ambiguous endings like this but it works here (at least for me) because not only do the characters live on, but so do all the ways a person can be Sámi.

This was listed with a recommendation made by Fredrik Backman, who is one of my favorite modern authors and thus my interest was piqued right away.

I found myself quite intrigued by a historical story about a native population that I, personally, know very little about. It wasn’t lost on me that while Punished is a work of fiction based on actual happenings, there are surely similarities in this story to the experiences of other native populations around the world, including here in the USA. Reading about the loss of culture and language, minimizations on family, forced assimilation, and overt bigotry, particularly through the voice of children, is heartbreaking. It is a great reminder that respect for culture cannot be overlooked for fear of history repeating itself.

Punished provided much to think on, but was not an overall “wow!” for me. Generally, I found the characters lacking in depth and nuance. Admittedly, Laestadius has given some a stronger build than others but overall, their motivations came through as primarily surface-level. My reading experience during this novel did not provide a significant emotional connection to the cast aside from empathy for children suffering at the hands of adults. The groundwork was there but sadly, it just didn’t get to a place of depth for this reader.

Additionally, the presentation of societal prejudice within this novel reads relatively murky. The abuse suffered by the children at school is, I believe, meant to be emblematic of a larger social sentiment against their lineage and culture. Unfortunately, though, this story’s focus on the abusive staff person, while distressing, reads more as an isolated incident of corruption and cruelty. Readers with a knowledge of history can glean the broader message that she is empowered by social sentiment but, in my opinion, the story itself doesn’t quite reach the portrayal of widespread prejudice in the way that was likely intended.

When all was said and done, while I would have enjoyed richer character building from a fiction standpoint and a more powerful statement about society from a historical standpoint, I am thankful for the unique perspective this novel presented. It gives the reader an opportunity to think about lived experiences and their impacts as people grow, in addition to allowing us to hear a set of voices not often heard.

"Punished" by Ann-Helen Laestadius is a thought-provoking and compelling exploration of the Sami people's struggle for cultural (and soul) preservation in Sweden after being forced to attend "nomad school" as children, where their language and culture were taken (beaten) from them.

Laestadius provides a deeply personal account of the challenges faced by five children from the close-knit Sami reindeer herding community. The story sheds light on the impact of forced assimilation policies and the resulting trauma that affected their adult lives, weaving back and forth from their childhood in the 1950s to adulthood in the 1980s.

Through vivid storytelling, Laestadius effectively conveys the resilience and strength of the majority of the Sami people in the face of systematic oppression and blatant racism. However, the return of the housemother who inflicted so much pain, torture, and death has returned to their town as a frail elderly woman who requires assistance. Her presence causes a strong visceral and mental reaction to each grown character, and it's interesting to see how each of them handles suppressed memories that resurface and inner rage.

One of the book's most significant strengths is its ability to educate and raise awareness about an often overlooked part of history. Laestadius skillfully weaves historical context into the narrative, providing valuable insights into the cultural, social, and political dynamics that have shaped the Sami experience.

"Punished" is a sobering read that confronts brutal truths. Laestadius's work is a vital contribution to the ongoing dialogue about Indigenous rights and the enduring impact of colonialism. The editor asks the reader at the very beginning of the book - if given the opportunity to punish the person who hurt you as a child, would you do it? And I appreciate how the author's writing and storytelling at the end allow the readers to make that call for themselves. Like where does my own capacity to forgive land? And if we know the personal history behind an abuser or bully, does that increase our ability to forgive?

It was heartbreaking to learn that this happened not only in the U.S. and Canada but also in Sweden. It's an essential part of history that we should all know.

Also - this cover is so beautiful!

Thank you, #NetGalley, #annhelenlaestadius, and #Scribner, for the ARC of #Punished in exchange for my honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book very much. Kept me thoroughly interested through one sitting. Look forward to much more by this author. Loved Stolen as well, but liked this one better.

I was aware of the residential schools Indigenous children were forced into in the US (Reservation Dogs has an episode on this, if you're interested. It's a good show, check it out!) and Canada but I had no idea such a thing was happening to Sámi children in Sweden. This was an incredible learning opportunity and a springboard for me into dive into learning more about this as whole. This took me such a long time to read because every time I read it, I cried. The things these children went through was heartbreaking and I know conditions in such schools were even more brutal than what was depicted in this story. I can't even begin to fathom having my own language and culture ripped away from me and forced and punished into conforming to someone else's idea of how they think I should be. The only negative for me was it took me an awfully long time to remember to who each character from the 50s was as a child and connect them to their adult counterpart in the 80s. I'm grateful for the opportunity to have read this and expand my learning of other Indigenous cultures I was previously unaware of. I know this is a story that was based off the author's own family's experience and I would recommend this all day every day over T.J. Klune's The House in the Cerulean Sea. It's not a "cozy" story, and it will shatter your heart into a million pieces, but you'll get way more out of it.

I thought that Ann-Helén Laestadius did an outstanding job of creating the Sami children and placing them at 7 years of age in a nomad school away from home to learn Swedish. Anna, who was maid, and who helped the children such as Else-Maj and Jon-Ante cope with their housemother Mrs. Rita Olsson. We have other characters such as Marge, Anne-Risten, and Nilsa. Each of the characters are described in either 1952 or in 1985. We see them as either a seven year old or a 40 year old in each case they hold on to their attributes throughout their lives. Ann-Helén takes us through painful periods with Jon-Ante and Mrs. Olsson. And other times with the other characters. But you must read the story to find out what happens in their lives. I can't imagine what's it like to not know another language and being sent away to resolve it. I know that my grandchildren, who live in Austria, were picked on for not knowing German right away, they knew English from my daughter and Bulgarian from their father. It took them till they were teens and taller than everyone else to become well with German.