When I was younger, I had the most wonderful neighbours (they’ve since moved out of Singapore). One day, my friend suggested we gather round in a circle, dim the lights, and use a torchlight to read East aloud. It was a magical experience and still colours the way I view the book.

East is a retelling of the story East of Sun, West of Moon, although it has touches of other stories in it. Ever since she was born, Rose wants to travel. The only thing that can keep her still is sewing and weaving. So when a white bear comes to their family and promises to take away her sister’s illness and their family’s poverty if she will go with him, Rose agrees. But just before her stay is over, her curiosity gets the better of her and she accidentally sends her white bear to become the groom of the Troll Queen.

I mentioned that this story had touches of others. Well, the three dresses that Rose weaves (of gold, silver, and moonlight) reminds me of the tale Allerleirauh, while the Troll Queen’s obsession with the White Bear reminds me of the Snow Queen from (although the Troll Queen has more intense feelings).

The story weaves the narratives of Rose, the Troll Queen, and the White Bear together. I found the White Bear’s parts to be fascinating, because for most of the book, he speaks in poetry. I found that this made the human-animal struggle feel plausible, that the words were there but something held them back.

I also really enjoyed the folklore elements. The Norse myths are referenced frequently, something that makes sense because that is where they are from! Rose’s journey also takes her to France and to Greenland (I think? It’s where an Inuit tribe lives but for the sake of the fantasy part of the story, this place was deliberately vague) and I really enjoyed the different cultures that Pattou writes about. Plus, Rose doesn’t actually know all these languages and cultures which makes the journey believable as she tries to find ways to communicate or a common language.

I enjoyed this just as much as I did all those years ago. I don’t think we ever finished our readaloud, but I am so glad that my friend introduced me to East. It’s probably one of the first fairytale retellings I ever read and it’s still one of my favourites.