NAHIA

In a world inspired by prehistoric Europe, a teen girl is stripped of her status when she insists that her people must change their traditions in order to survive.

Nahia, who’s proud of her “first daughter” status in the Sea People’s matriarchal culture, struggles to remain silent as food grows scarce and people repeat tales of violent bands of strangers. Despite her twin sister Izara’s pleas, Nahia questions their mother the headwoman’s leadership and is sent to live with shaman Eneko on the camp’s fringes. Heartbroken Nahia grows to admire Eneko and travels with him to his home in a mountain valley. Eneko and Hodei, a woman shaman from the Salamander People, teach Nahia to use vision-inducing plants. When one of her visions reveals that the Sea People may have been taken by marauders, Nahia knows she must return to the coast even though she’ll desperately miss Eneko. But upon finding her band, Nahia is astonished to discover her sister is happy living among the agricultural invaders, and she must reassess her judgment of what’s best for the Sea People’s survival. Archaeologist Jones’ fiction debut incorporates details about the material culture and practices of the peoples of the European Mesolithic–Neolithic transition. Nahia’s first-person narration brings immediacy to the narrative although some dialogue feels calculated to educate readers, slowing the pace. Nahia’s people typically have brown skin, blue eyes, and dark hair.

An interesting story unfolding in an unusual setting.