Book Review: When We Were Vikings

When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
January 28, 2020 – that’s today!
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Publisher’s Description:

Sometimes life isn’t as simple as heroes and villains.

For Zelda, a twenty-one-year-old Viking enthusiast who lives with her older brother, Gert, life is best lived with some basic rules:

1. A smile means “thank you for doing something small that I liked.”
2. Fist bumps and dabs = respect.
3. Strange people are not appreciated in her home.
4. Tomatoes must go in the middle of the sandwich and not get the bread wet.
5. Sometimes the most important things don’t fit on lists.

But when Zelda finds out that Gert has resorted to some questionable—and dangerous—methods to make enough money to keep them afloat, Zelda decides to launch her own quest. Her mission: to be legendary. It isn’t long before Zelda finds herself in a battle that tests the reach of her heroism, her love for her brother, and the depth of her Viking strength.

When We Were Vikings is an uplifting debut about an unlikely heroine whose journey will leave you wanting to embark on a quest of your own, because after all…

We are all legends of our own making.

Zelda has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which has left her with some cognitive issues that affect her outlook on life. She’s obsessed with Vikings and desperately wants to be a Viking herself. She lives with her older brother Gert, who is also her caretaker. He’s extremely protective of her – to a fault. During the day, she goes to a community center for people with intellectual disabilities and even has a boyfriend named Marxy who goes there too.

I love Zelda. She’s earnest, kind and even though she’s intellectually challenged, she can be very insightful. She can also be unintentionally funny but MacDonald writes her in a way that never makes fun of her. The Viking code she lives by could be useful for everyone. When her brother Gert gets into trouble, Zelda vows to help him. Gert is in over his head trying to take care of Zelda now that’s she’s an adult. His intentions are good but he doesn’t always makes the best choices regarding Zelda or his life in general. In addition to Gert, Zelda has a wonderful “tribe” of people that support her emotionally, including Gert’s on-again, off-again girlfriend and the people that work at the center. They are fabulous supporting characters.

I loved this book. I read it in one afternoon which is rare for me. There are some tense moments when Zelda is trying to secretly help Gert in his dealings with some extremely unsavory people. My stomach was in knots as a furiously read to see if Gert and Zelda were going to have a happy ending. Surprisingly, When We Were Vikings is MacDonald’s debut novel. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next. Highly recommended.

(I received a complimentary copy of this book for review.)