East by Edith Pattou. 498 p. Harcourt Inc., 2003. 9780152045630. (own)
#tbt features East by Edith Pattou. East is a novel-length retelling of the Norwegian folk tale, East of the Sun, West of the Moon, which is a variation of the myth of Cupid and Psyche.
This intricate and layered story requires a patient reader, but is fascinating. Rose was born to a superstitious mother, who insisted to her husband that she bear 7 children to represent all the points on a compass. When one died, her mother got pregnant with Rose and insisted she would be born facing east as the child who died had. Rose always felt like an outsider growing up and now her family is falling apart. When a huge white bear shows up with a proposition-her family will become healthy and wealthy if she comes away with him, Rose accepts instantly.
She's carried away to a castle hidden in the mountains and, while she's relatively happy living with this mysterious creature, she is homesick. The bear allows her to visit her family for one month, but makes her promise not to speak to anyone of their arrangement. She promises, and when she tells her brother about it, her mother overhears. She insists that Rose return to the castle with a magic candle, so that she can gaze upon the creature at night.
Once Rose does so, she learns that she has failed to help the bear break a curse. He becomes prisoner of a Troll Queen and disappears.
East was published in 2003 and was named a Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults in 2004. In 2018, West, a sequel, was published.
While the cover of the e-book is nice enough and matches the cover of West, I absolutely love the original cover, with its embossed compass rose wrapping around the cover.
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