Between Two Worlds by Katherine Kirkpatrick (review)

In 1900, sixteen-year-old Eqariusaq has mixed feelings about the arrival at her Greenland village of the American ship carrying Mrs. Robert Peary and her daughter. On the one hand, Eqariusaq, who lived for a year with the Pearys (who call her “Billy Bah”), is pleased to see again the people who meant so much to her; on the other, she’s also aware of how much American wealth changes the way her people operate. And indeed it does: Eqariusaq’s amiable but lazy husband loves the ease of hunting with guns and bullets and accepts dangerous commissions from Mrs. Peary in order to earn more; he also follows the local custom of bartering his wife for intervals, leading to Eqariusaq’s complicated and affectionate relationship with Duncan, a sailor aboard the Pearys’ ship. Kirkpatrick has been a sensitive explorer of history in both fiction and nonfiction, previously treating the Arctic in The Snow Baby (BCCB 2/07); her fictional depiction of the real-life young woman who translated and sewed for Peary expeditions gives her an opportunity to explore some of the subtle complexities of this strange cultural intersection. Eqariusaq’s narration vividly immerses readers in the warm companionship and icy physical chill of her Inuit community, with her perplexing American experiences revealed in flashbacks; she is capable both of deeply admiring the statuesque Mrs. Peary and resenting the woman’s selfish privilege as she dismisses Inuit welfare in her zeal to find her husband. This would be a natural complement to Lerangis’ Smiler’s Bones (BCCB 6/05), but it’s also a compelling counternarrative to exploration tales as Eqariusaq negotiates her way through intersectionality, remaining an active participant in her own fate. Fascinating end matter includes a glossary, a timeline, a substantial historical note; photographs will appear in the bound book.