Journey through Wilderness

On Slædehundene hyler (The Huskies are Howling)

By : Annette Bach

While staying with her father in Copenhagen, Nannavina is called home to Greenland - her older brother, following a row with his friend Norsaq, has gone missing in the snowy mountains. Is Nannavina's brother dead? And what is Norsaq really up to? Despite having doubts about Norsaq, Nannavina agrees to accompany him into the wilds of Greenland in an attempt to find her brother.

They travel by sledge, pulled by huskies, and the journey turns out to be both dangerous and challenging; but the harsh natural environment helps Nannavina find her true self. The huskies are Howling is not only a thriller, it is also a love story and a coming-of-age story, during the course of which Nannavina matures from edgy youth to develop into a young woman at ease with her family and cultural background.

This article was first published in Danish Children's Literature no. 21, Spring 2002.

Translated by Gaye Kynoch