The Man Who Spoke Snakish in Around the World in 80 Books

Dec 26, 2015 Katie rated it it was ok

Shelves: male-author, ___europe, translated, _estonia

The Man Who Spoke Snakish is the story of Leemet, a boy in medieval Estonia who is confronted with colonization and a changing world. Leemet grows up in the forest, where he learns to speak Snakish, a language that enables him to talk to animals in the forest. His family has no need for hunting, as they are able to beckon deer to them for slaughter using Snakish. This lifestyle has been fading away for generations, as the forest dwellers stop learning Snakish and instead move to the village wher The Man Who Spoke Snakish is the story of Leemet, a boy in medieval Estonia who is confronted with colonization and a changing world. Leemet grows up in the forest, where he learns to speak Snakish, a language that enables him to talk to animals in the forest. His family has no need for hunting, as they are able to beckon deer to them for slaughter using Snakish. This lifestyle has been fading away for generations, as the forest dwellers stop learning Snakish and instead move to the village where they eat bread (which is almost a forbidden fruit among forest dwellers), grow their own food, and convert to Christianity. There are a lot of fantastical elements woven in: a giant frog who could ward off colonizers, bears that seduce women, and louse that has been bred to the size of a goat by the "Primates," two forest dwellers who live in the trees, refuse to wear clothing, and have remnants of a tail.

I loved the first half of this book. It explores a lot of themes of what it means to be human, how to adapt to a changing culture while remaining true to yourself, and the role of religion and spirituality in society. About halfway though, I thought the book started to fall apart. There were strange plot twists, I found Leemet increasingly unlikable, and there was a lot of violence. At the time I was reading this, I was also telling stories with my four year old nephew, and somehow the book felt at times like it was being told in part by a four year old. The story would be going along, exploring some interesting themes, and then all the sudden it is the four year old's turn and the story veers way off course. At first, you laugh, adapt to the new direction the story is taking, and move on. The thought-out adult version continues, then the four year old jumps in again...it becomes harder and harder to get used to the senseless plot twists and sudden lack of meaning. Not that I don't appreciate the insertion of some of the imagination and creativity of youth, or understand that these elements create their own type of meaning...the story just somehow started to feel incredibly ridiculous towards the end.

Apparently this book is really popular in Estonia, and I've read several reviews stating that this is a clunky translation and a lot has been lost. So maybe that is part of my problem with the book.

I really did appreciate the themes explored at the beginning of the book. Leemet struggles because he knows he will be the last man living in the forest and speaking Snakish. When he looks at the lifestyle of the village he is frequently disgusted. Why should he spend all day working in the fields to grow food and raise domestic animals, when there is plenty of food for taking in the forest? Why is a spinning wheel necessary when you can use animal furs for clothing? At the same time he realizes that if he doesn't adopt this lifestyle, he will likely live and die alone in the forest. The book kind of stops exploring this theme, but I found it interesting. When confronted with societal change one finds distasteful, is it best to live a lifestyle you truly believe in alone in the forest, or to adapt to change, start eating bread, and move to the village? ...more

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Jan 24, 2024 Karen added it

Shelves: 2024-l-l-challenge, translation-2024, travel-2024

A mythological, fantasical, historical story set in medieval Estonia. Traditional forest dwellers find their culture slipping away from them as more and more of their families move to villages that have eschewed the rituals of the forest, and have taken on the traditions of their overlords (knights and monks).

More and more of the forest families left the forest for the local village, so that very few families remained in the forest. The story focus' on Leemet and his family. They are desperatel ...more

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Apr 30, 2016 Vesra (When She Reads) marked it as to-read

Shelves: e-book, m, fiction, author-k, mythology, science-fiction-fantasy, pc-400-499, c-green, pub-grove-press, tbr-2015

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Sep 26, 2017 Deedee marked it as to-read

Shelves: cover-green-75, m2, a3, translation, cover-green, rws-10-10-group-reads-unread, cover-green-70-percent, year-2007, fantasy, title-has-5-words-or-more

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