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INTERMEDIATE FICTION
Ahokoivu, Mari

Oksi

400 pp. | Levine Querido/Em Querido | September, 2021 | Trade ISBN 978-1-1-64614-113-5 $24.99 | Paper ISBN 978-1-64614-112-8 $18.99
(2) 4-6 Translated by Silja-Maaria Arobnpuro. A remarkably distinctive graphic novel that feels both ancient and contemporary. Poorling looks (and feels) different from the other bear cubs: her head is large and shaped like the flame of a match. This serves as foreshadowing, as she will go on to learn to make fire and with it both destroy and create. She is rejected by the bear she believes to be her mother, a bear who was in turn rejected by Emuu, "fierce grandma in the sky." Ahokoivu creates a fantasy world of snow; the Northern Lights; and fir forests inhabited by animals, shadow humans, and gods. She uses elements of Finnish mythology in a fresh creation myth, culminating in its protagonist's transformation to "Oksi, Guardian of the Forest." With beautiful ink washes (created along with digital tools), hand lettering, and a storyteller's voice, Ahokoivu explores the relationships between mothers and daughters, gods and their creations. The largely black-and-white art is interspersed with splashes of color, including yellow associated with the Scaup, a bird who serves as Poorling's teacher; and the red blood that pours from animals as they die. Poorling's story is dark and painful, but she is ultimately rewarded for her ability to understand her power and forgive and embrace her mother. Fantasy and graphic novel fans will likely be pulled into this sophisticated, metaphorical tale with its unexpected riches. "A Note on Names" is appended--Oksi, for example, is an old Finnish word for bear.
Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

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