Stephanie Jane reviewed Set in Stone by Stela Brinzeanu
A stunning debut
5 stars
Set In Stone is the first novel I have read by a Moldovan author. It is historical fiction inspired by a traditional folktale which gives it a fairytale vibe, but with a modern feminist angle. I think Stela Brinzeanu's writing would strongly appeal to fans of Angela Carter and Naomi Novik. I loved spending time with the two leading characters - one, Mira, a potter's daughter, the other, Elina, the privileged daughter of the Boyar. Both their fathers encourage their daughters in ways that were frowned upon - Mira learning the potter's arts and Elina being taught how to hunt - yet we see how, despite their surface differences, the girls' lives were similarly constrained by social customs and traditions. In fact, the only truly free character seemed to be herbalist Rozalia, but of course medieval Moldova, in common with the rest of Europe, wasn't a good time to be …
Set In Stone is the first novel I have read by a Moldovan author. It is historical fiction inspired by a traditional folktale which gives it a fairytale vibe, but with a modern feminist angle. I think Stela Brinzeanu's writing would strongly appeal to fans of Angela Carter and Naomi Novik. I loved spending time with the two leading characters - one, Mira, a potter's daughter, the other, Elina, the privileged daughter of the Boyar. Both their fathers encourage their daughters in ways that were frowned upon - Mira learning the potter's arts and Elina being taught how to hunt - yet we see how, despite their surface differences, the girls' lives were similarly constrained by social customs and traditions. In fact, the only truly free character seemed to be herbalist Rozalia, but of course medieval Moldova, in common with the rest of Europe, wasn't a good time to be an independent, self-educated woman!
I was impressed with how Brinzeanu portrays the burgeoning relationship between Elina and Mira. Set In Stone isn't a romance novel per se, and the emphasis on a growing friendship between these women made their later love all the more poignant. The story has hints of magical realism as well a superstitious beliefs which persist despite the overwhelming power of the local church. I was intrigued to see owls viewed as a harbinger of death as I came across this same belief not so long ago in a Zambian novel, The Mourning Bird by Mubanga Kalimamukwento. The life of Elina and Mira's village takes a darker turn after an owl is heard and Set In Stone does have a couple of pretty horrific scenes. It's not that they're too graphically written, but imagining what happens, especially knowing that these things really did happen back then, makes the events all the more disturbing.
I enjoyed Set In Stone as a novel which gave me insights into historical Moldova and her people, particularly the way in which Brinzeanu tells this patriarchal story through the eyes an experiences of the women at its heart. A story that previously would have been about a rich man having a church built for him becomes so much deeper when viewed from the perspectives of the women who were meant to be subjugated at various points. I believe that Set In Stone is Brinzeanu's first novel and, on the strength of this book, I'm very keen to see what she writes next.
