A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

I pulled a classic blunder before reading this book. I let the summary on the back of the book give me a preconceived notion of what the book was going to be about. It is not that the back of the book was wrong in terms of what it was about, I just read the fact that it was set against the backdrop of the murder in 1906 and assumed that it was going to be more of a murder mystery. I guess I was thinking a mix of Devil in the White City, and Sherlock Holmes, not Little Women. It did not take me long to realize that I was mistaken. That is not to say that it was a terrible book, it was just not what I was expecting.
As a teacher the first lens that I always look through is that of a high school student. As a student I am not sure how I would rate it. First, I guess it would depend on the gender or the student. I feel that this book would speak more to a female student than a male one, and I do not say this simply because the main character is a female. I say it because I think on many levels male students would not be able to relate to the novel. In my opinion I found this as a coming of age story of a young woman. A girl (Mattie) who had to raise her sisters and run a farm because their mother died, struggled with thinking she was plain (classic case of poor self-esteem), told us about the highs and lows of her first relationship, and in the end learned to live for herself in the wake of the death of Grace (a lady murdered by the man who got her pregnant). It is for these reasons that I feel the character of Mattie will not relate to many of the young boys in high school. She is a character, however, that many young girls will be able to connect with. Even though it takes place over a hundred years ago, they are still issues that girls go through and fight with in today’s society.
Taking away the lens of the student it is a novel that I thought was very well written. Donnelly does a masterful job interweaving the history of the murder with the story of Mattie. As I mentioned before I started out thinking it was a murder mystery novel. After about 50 pages, when I found out it was not, I was able to stop and start to enjoy the book for what it was. I personally do not know much about the turn of the century, especially up around the Adirondacks. It was interesting to see how the life was so much different, and yet much the same. When Mattie finally got the job, she lived about 8 miles from home. She did not call it far, but it was far enough that she could not go home every night. For her it was a summer job away from home. It today’s society less than 10 percent of my friends live within 8 miles of my house. When I first started reading I read about a simpler time. However, the further I got in the novel I realized that it was not exactly simpler, it just had a different kind of hardships. While some of the things were different, there was a great deal that is the same. I think that Donnelly does a great job creating a character that transcends time. Her development did not depend on the time she lived, but rather on the very same things that make us all human.
I feel this was what made A Nothern Light such a good example of a Historical fiction. It was not a story about the early twentieth century; it was a story that just happened to take place in that time frame. The fact that it was in 1906 was an undercurrent to give the plot a context. For example it gives a context as to why women’s rights were non-existent. At that time women’s suffrage had not happened, so the Mattie’s role on the farm was set. School was a second priority for a girl who had to cook clean and raise children; going to college was uncommon, let alone for women. And then those women like Miss Wilcox/Baxter who are educated, still have to play second fiddle to the men, even if he is abusing his wife. It was never stated why the gender roles where the way they were, but knowing that it was in 1906 helps the reader understand what was happening and why.
Overall, I thought that the story was told very well. Donnelly did a great job writing a compelling novel that can speak to all people no matter what decade they grow up in. Mattie was a character that was easy to cheer for and easy to share in her hopes and dreams. Even if it is more girl friendly, I do not think that stops it from being a text that could be used in the classroom to give an idea of the early twentieth century.