FINALIST FOR THE 2023 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD

An epic about love, colonialism, and land

In 1851, at a remote village in the Scandinavian tundra, a Lutheran minister known as Mad Lasse tries in vain to convert the native Sámi reindeer herders to his faith. But when one of the most respected herders has a dramatic awakening and dedicates his life to the church, his impetuous son, Ivvár, is left to guard their diminishing herd alone. By chance, he meets Mad Lasse’s daughter Willa, and their blossoming infatuation grows into something that ultimately crosses borders—of cultures, of beliefs, and of political divides—as Willa follows the herders on their arduous annual migration north to the sea.

“Pylväinen’s captivating latest…this is transcendent.”—Publishers Weekly (starred)

“Ambitious and resonant, a vivid, fascinating, and moving novel.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred)

“With engrossing details of reindeer herding, a beautifully rendered setting and powerful echoes of America’s own dark history of settlers forcing their religion on Indigenous peoples, The End of Drum-Time will leave a lasting impression on all readers of historical fiction.” — BookPage (starred)

“It calls to mind the great novels of Thomas Hardy – Pylväinen understands, as Hardy did, the cost that transformation exacts, and her writing echoes his empathy for all who came under his gaze. Like Hardy too she depicts seismic changes in culture and industry in a way that is never heavy-handed, always fully lived through her characters, in their bodies and hearts and minds.” —Erica Wagner, The Guardian

“The End of Drum Time is a novel of large ideas and beautiful details. Pylvainen’s characters are alive, her prose deft, her story’s conclusion sad and satisfying – uplifting too, against the odds. I’m already looking forward to her next.” —Rachel Seiffert, The Spectator

“Pylväinen’s breathless, exquisite prose rushes fast as meltwater through a story of reckless lovers and desperate religious passions to an ending that feels like a flood in its inevitability and destructive force. This is a book as beautiful and unforgiving as the land it describes.” —Constance Grady, Vox

Pylväinen positively shines throughout, whether portraying the day-to-day activities of the Sámi or the all-consuming romance between Willa and Ivvár. The late introduction of an almost comically evil but unquestionably realistic villain changes the novel's tenor, but given its overall scope, the episode simply feels like the flashy finale for a saga that you will desperately wish was already renewed for another season.” —Cory Oldweiler, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Riveting.” —Shreya Chattopadhyay, The New York Times, Paperback Row

“Novels Rooted in History and a Sense of Place,” The New York TImes Book Review

“This contemporary account of a dark chapter in Scandinavian history benefits from the author’s imaginative storytelling and her brilliance as a writer. Pylväinen infuses each situation with details that make it come alive and make each character’s situation relatable to the reader.” —The Christian Science Monitor

“Pylväinen’s prose is rich with physical detail. You can smell the grass with which the Samí stuff their reindeer-hide shoes and see the ghostly twilight of a land where the sun never quite sets in the summer. Most of all, her sparse, precise sentences are as beautiful and merciless as the snow itself.” —Best Books of 2023, Vox

TIME, 100 Must-Read Books of 2023

Marie Claire UK, Best New Books of 2024

“This is a mystical and beautiful novel. Despite its honest portrayal of the cruel colonial war on Sami culture, there is a deep, gentle rhythm to Pylvainen’s writing that is mesmerising. Her slow storytelling is quietly radiant and sheds light on a corner of history that is undersung, as well as reminding us of the indelible synchronicity of man, beast and the changing seasons.” — Melissa Katsoulis, The Times of London

The account of their summer of love melds perfectly with the evocation of the bewitching Arctic landscape – a lyrical tour de force. The novel’s final dramatic denouement, which reminded me of the end of Njal’s Saga, is maybe too operatic. But this novel of epic proportions, its luminous prose written in a rhythmical storytelling voice, earns a tragic closing act. It’s a stunning work. —Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, The Irish Times

Helsingin Sanomat

Weekend Edition with Scott Simon, NPR

Open Book, BBC

Culture Study with Anne Helen Petersen

Perspective Magazine

YLE.fi

The Selection Committee

Little Atoms

Pulp

CRAFT Literary

Mount Holyoke Alumnae Quarterly

Provincetown Independent