call of the owl woman by k.m. huber
After my last NetGalley review copy, I went on a bit of a spree and requesting a ton of books to review. This book isn't the first I was accepted for, but it is the one with the soonest publication date, which means I read it first out of all the books I was approved for. There will be others like this, but Call of the Owl Woman was a book I'd never heard of but caught my eye with its compelling title. A quick read of the description left me interested and I immediately requested it. I'm happy to report that it was a great experience.
This short YA novel follows Patya, a fifteen-year-old of the Nasca people and granddaughter of a legendary healer whose death opens the story. Her mother is also an accomplished healer and her father is the water guardian of their community. The Nasca people have lived in the region (a part of modern-day Peru) for centuries, but the ground is getting drier and the people are starting to worry for their future and how they may appease the gods.
When I first started reading this book, I'll admit that I was a bit concerned that I might not be able to enjoy it as much as I'd hoped. There is a lot to love within the YA demographic as an adult, but I have noticed that common teenage experiences do become less relatable over time in some ways. However, before long I found myself intrigued enough by the setting to put down the book to actually look up the people, places, and objects being talked about. I don't know a lot about pre-Spanish Latin America or even current Latin America, so I wanted to make sure that I wasn't damaging the story with my ignorance. Plus the stuff all just sounded cool! That was all it took for me to be completely invested in this spiritual story about a teenage girl from Nasca trying to figure out where she belongs in a time of much struggle.
My brief reading on Wikipedia suggests that there isn't actually a lot of information on the Nasca people (at least that is available enough in English to be listed on Wikipedia), so the author has had to fill in a lot based on other peoples who lived in the region and with imagination. This necessity of leaving a lot to the imagination might not be for everyone, but I personally feel like it was a great strategy for this type of story and deeply respectful of the people themselves and their lives. This is only more apparent when reading the afterword by the author (which is hopefully in the actual release). It is clear she did extensive research to get what she could right and leave the rest open to respectful interpretation. I actually think it ends up making Patya and her world more charming than a more obviously fabricated narrative. I really liked this book.
While it may be true that I don't find 15-year-old girls that relatable anymore, the themes and storytelling in Call of the Owl Woman made it all worth it to me. It was a great reminder that when things get tough, blaming the weak and helpless isn't the answer. We are only able to find peace through respect for our environment and each other and work together to support everyone. It's a timely message that I think a lot more people would do well to remember.
Updated 5Â months, 1Â week ago