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I guarantee that you need to make space in your heart for Zelda and her tribe.
Zelda is a twenty-one year old who lives with her older brother, Gert. Their dead mother drank while pregnant with both of them. Gert was okay, but Zelda has symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome. Gert does his best to look after both of them. However, to get them away from their evil Uncle Richard, he had to borrow money from a gang leader. He’s supposed to be going to college, but is now in deep trouble with the gang.
Zelda is obsessed with Vikings. From them she finds her role models. She is determined to live her life according to those ancient Norse warriors. Protecting her tribe is integral to their principles. When she realizes that Gert needs to pay off their debt to the gang, she manages to get a part time job in the library to help out. Her further attempts to rescue him take her into dangerous territory.
Luckily Zelda has some phenomenal people supporting her. There’s Annie, (AK47) Gert's ex girlfriend; Zelda's therapist, Dr. Laird; the people at the community centre; and Carol, her boss at the library.
I loved all the supportive adults in this novel, but especially AK47 who understands how to explain things to Zelda. There is some straight talking here that goes into great detail about sex. Zelda has a boyfriend, Marxy, who she is planning on having sex with. Unfortunately, he has a somewhat overbearing mother. This whole section is brilliant and to be honest, I wish I'd had someone like AK47 to mentor me when I was younger.
Zelda narrates this story. Her voice is pure joy. Even when she isn’t fully aware of what’s happening, readers can infer the (often terrifying) realities of her situation. There is humour - some aspects were laugh out loud hilarious. At other times I wept. By the end I was a sobbing mess.
This is a beautifully written debut novel. My favourite quote in the entire book is, "Sometimes the most important things don't fit on lists."
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