Stolen
SynopsisPlot
On a winter day north of the Arctic Circle, nine-year-old Elsa—daughter of Sámi reindeer herders—sees a man brutally kill her beloved reindeer calf and threaten her into silence. When her father takes her to report the crime, local police tell them that there is nothing they can do about these “stolen” animals. Killings like these are classified as theft in the reports that continue to pile up, uninvestigated. But reindeer are not just the Sámi’s livelihood, they also hold spiritual significance; attacking a reindeer is an attack on the culture itself. Ten years later, hatred and threats against the Sámi keep escalating, and more reindeer are tortured and killed in Elsa’s community. Finally, she’s had enough and decides to push back on the apathetic police force. The hunter comes after her this time, leading to a catastrophic final confrontation.
Story
About this book
In northern Sweden, above the Arctic Circle, a nine-year-old Sámi girl named Elsa witnesses a man kill her reindeer calf and threaten her into silence. When her father tries to report the crime, local police dismiss it. Killings of reindeer in Sámi communities are officially classified as theft, and the reports pile up without investigation. For the Sámi, an Indigenous people whose culture and livelihood depend on reindeer herding, these acts carry a weight that goes far beyond property loss. The animals are central to spiritual life and everyday survival alike.
Ten years pass, and the violence has not stopped. Hatred toward the Sámi continues to grow in the region, and more reindeer are tortured and killed. Elsa, now a young woman, decides she can no longer accept the inaction of authorities and begins to confront the situation on her own terms. Her resistance draws dangerous attention.
Ann-Helén Laestadius, herself of Sámi heritage, based the novel on real events. The story is set in a landscape of snow, tundra, and sparse northern settlements where reindeer herding families have lived for generations. It follows Elsa from childhood through young adulthood, tracing how sustained injustice and cultural hostility shape her decisions. The book received recognition as an award-winning work.
