The Wax Child by Olga Ravn

Thanks Viking Books and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy!

Told in utterly beautiful, poetic prose, The Wax Child took me by surprise and I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. This was a brilliant lesson in stepping outside of my usual genres, since I am not much of a horror fan, but I am a huge fan of translated fiction and global stories. I also LOVE historical fiction, particularly since it borrows from real-life, which is precisely what The Wax Child does, telling the story of Christenze Kruckow and basing it upon a 17th century Danish witch trial. Ravn’s poetic writing style shines off the page here, bringing to life a curiously archaic voice of a child wrought of wax – a prime example of of the ‘most sinister magic’. It is childlike and unexpectedly sharp and precise at the same time, and I found no end to my favourite lines of this book! As Christenze flees rumours of her witchcraft and scandal, she arrives to Aalborg, a city of seawater, where she convenes with a community of women, rousing more rumours and suspicion.

The quiet naïveté of our narrator helps to explore themes of sexuality and felinity as Christenze joins the community of women that help one another cook, clean, sew, live. Does she wish to join these heteronormative conventions and chores? Is this adding to the pile-on that she is a witch? In turn, this ‘village’ is brought to life with the sort of repetitive prose that feels reminiscent of old folklore tales being told around a fire. And, upon finishing this book, a quick research session tells me this book is fairly grounded upon Nordic values, history and folklore. A really beautiful read that I’m sure I’ll pick up again next autumn.