Dálvi: Six Years in the arctic tundra
After a romance with a Sámi reindeer herder and a DNA test revealing her Sámi heritage, journalist Laura Galloway decides to leave behind her bustling New York life and relocate to Kautokeino, a remote village in Norwegian Lapland. When her relationship ends abruptly, Laura makes the bold decision to stay, spending six transformative years in the far North.
In a mix of memoir and travelogue, Laura Galloway’s Dálvi is a beautiful exploration of Arctic life, Sami culture, and the themes of identity and belonging. The strong contrast between the frenetic pace of New York City and the tranquil isolation of the Arctic is exquisitely portrayed, with each chapter juxtaposing Laura’s two worlds.
Reading Dálvi feels like embarking on a journey all the way to the Arctic. From page one, the narrative is filled with vivid descriptions of the Arctic landscape and the narrative enriched with Sami and Norwegian words, starting from the title itself Dálvi - winter, in Sami. Beyond minus fifteen Fahrenheit, lingonberries, and reindeer stew, Dálvi also addresses delicate themes of mental breakdown, anxiety and that pervasive sense of “exhaustion” coming from present-day social media culture:
“I am now a million miles away from anyone that understands ‘life hacks’ and people who drink grass-fed yak-butter coffee or do six-day silent meditation retreats in exotic locales and then write extensive posts about their personal growth on LinkedIn and Instagram with hashtags like #blessed.”
Another compelling layer of Laura’s journey is her exploration of the Sámi language, a minority group of Uralic languages spoken by the indigenous people of the Sápmi region. This region spans the northern parts of Norway, Finland, Sweden, Russia, and the Kola Peninsula. The text is rich in Sami and Norwegian words, starting from the title itself. Throughout the book, Laura describes her experience of discovering the Sami languages, and how her linguistic discovery enriches her understanding of the culture and deepens her connection to the land.
Ultimately, Laura’s journey is one of profound self-reflection. It’s a narrative about finding oneself in the most unexpected places and cultivating a deep sense of belonging. Laura's story eloquently illustrates that home is not merely a physical location but resides within us and in the connections we form with others. (spoler alert!: Despite eventually discovering that she has only partial Sámi ancestry, Laura realizes she is exactly where she needs to be. Her lived experiences and cultural immersion have indelibly shaped her identity, and her journey continues with new adventures on the horizon.
“I don’t know what the future holds, but knowing I’ve found the meaning of home, anything is possible.”
The conclusion, one of the most hopeful endings I have ever read, marks the dawn of a new chapter, and a new journey ahead:
"I have a course to plot across Europe. - The trip will take me 3,292 kilometers across seven countries, with two cats and two dogs. I need to be prepared"
I first discovered Dálvi in 2022, about a year after moving to Finland. A time when I was navigating my own integration into a new culture in the far North, deeply immersed in my Finnish language studies, and uncovering new nuances and meanings of home and belonging every day. Laura Galloway's memoir resonated with me from the very first page. Returning to this book years later to write this review, I find myself once again enchanted by Dálvi. I have already read this book three times in my life - every time I come back to these pages I find myself underlying more and more passages and reflecting more on my own journey into the North.
As I wrap up this review, I know that this winter too, I’ll curl up with a blanket and hot tea from my cozy apartment in Helsinki, the place I now call home, and step back into Dálvi - to be moved and inspired, again, by this fascinating tale.
