The Foretelling
by Alice Hoffman
Published by Little, Brown and Company
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Reviewed by Andrea Sisco
"The weak are cruel; the strong have no need to be."
A young girl, born out of the sorrow of her mother's rape, is named Rain. Her mother, Alina, is Queen of an Amazon warrior tribe of women. Rain, daughter of the Queen, always knew she would one day be the Queen of her tribe.
Because of the circumstances of her birth, Alina never once looked at her daughter--and Deborah, a priestess, who foretells of Rain's destiny, raises her. Rain is trained by the warriors Asteria and Astella and is determined to become the best horsewoman and warrior in her tribe.
Rain longs for acceptance by her mother but her place as the "loved one" is filled by the servant, Penthe. Penthe's daughter, the kind and gentle Io, follows Rain everywhere in the hope that she can become Rain's sister.
Rain finds a bear cub she names Usha. She brings Usha home to her tribe and raises the cub as her sister. It is through this relationship with the bear cub that Rain begins to accept Io. But in a fierce battle with four men, Usha is killed, and it is with sadness that Rain understands she raised Usha to be a horse rather than a bear.
It is during the battle where Usha is killed that Rain meets Melek. It is also when she begins her journey of mercy and peace and to strive to understand others. It is that understanding that serves her completely when she faces her ultimate test.
The Foretelling is a haunting and mesmerizing story of a strong young woman born into a place and time that does not serve her understanding of how things can and should be.
And while rape is discussed, it is done in a manner that makes the story appropriate for teens to read.
Armchair Interviews says: The Foretelling is the best Young Adult novel I've read in a long, long time. The story and message will stay with you, long after you've turned the last page. I highly recommend it.