About the Author
Mary E. Hotvedt is a cultural anthropologist and family therapist who draws on her Nordic travels to blend Norse history with psychotherapy in her debut novel, Unn's Saga. Now living in rural New Mexico, she is currently writing her second novel set in Zambia.
Life & Studies
- Deeply rooted in anthropological research and clinical experience.
- Integrating ancient Viking lore with modern therapeutic practice.
- Cultivating global narratives from the American Southwest to African landscapes.
The Story
Ina Pelletier refuses to live. Unn Ketilsdóttir refuses to die.\n\nWhen a 9th century Norse chieftain takes up residence in the body of a troubled young woman named R., the last person equipped to deal with it is R.'s therapist — burned-out, buttoned-up Dr. Ina Pelletier, who has spent years helping other people's lives while quietly abandoning her own.\n\nUnn Ketilsdóttir — the legendary Unn the Deep-Minded, who crossed oceans, freed slaves, and founded dynasties — has no patience for the modern world's timidity. She demands to be taken seriously as a client, insists on telling her story, and begins dismantling R.'s careful self-reinvention from the inside out. Is R. experiencing a psychotic break — or is Unn terrifyingly, inconveniently real?\n\nDrawn into the chaos is Dr. Snorri Grimmson, an Icelandic scholar who may be the only person alive who can explain what's happening. Whether his growing attachment to Ina is professional courtesy or something more complicated, neither of them can say.\n\nAnd then there is the dark figure who keeps watching.\n\nTwo stories unfold in parallel: the sweeping saga of a Viking woman's extraordinary life in the medieval North Atlantic, and a contemporary collision of ancient will and modern fragility in a therapist's office. Richly researched and wickedly funny, this is historical fiction with a soul — and a 9th century woman who refuses to let anyone waste theirs.
The Story
Ina Pelletier refuses to live. Unn Ketilsdóttir refuses to die. When a 9th century Norse chieftain takes up residence in the body of a troubled young woman named R., the last person equipped to deal with it is R.'s therapist — burned-out, buttoned-up Dr. Ina Pelletier, who has spent years helping other people's lives while quietly abandoning her own. Unn Ketilsdóttir — the legendary Unn the Deep-Minded, who crossed oceans, freed slaves, and founded dynasties — has no patience for the modern world's timidity. She demands to be taken seriously as a client, insists on telling her story, and begins dismantling R.'s careful self-reinvention from the inside out. Is R. experiencing a psychotic break — or is Unn terrifyingly, inconveniently real? Drawn into the chaos is Dr. Snorri Grimmson, an Icelandic scholar who may be the only person alive who can explain what's happening. Whether his growing attachment to Ina is professional courtesy or something more complicated, neither of them can say. And then there is the dark figure who keeps watching. Two stories unfold in parallel: the sweeping saga of a Viking woman's extraordinary life in the medieval North Atlantic, and a contemporary collision of ancient will and modern fragility in a therapist's office. Richly researched and wickedly funny, this is historical fiction with a soul — and a 9th century woman who refuses to let anyone waste theirs.
- Deeply rooted in anthropological research and clinical experience. Integrating ancient Viking lore with modern therapeutic practice. Cultivating global narratives from the American Southwest to African landscapes.