Iron age, a child found in a bog, mystery, speculation.
These are the things that Lois Lowry’s book The Windeby Puzzle originated from. It’s a touching, but tragic, novella that enraptured me from the start.
Real Person
The story is based on an actual human: a body known as the Windeby Child, found in a German peat bog during construction.
There’s something important about this bog, and others similar to it.
People have fallen in the bog, gathering peat, which is basically a fire starter made of mud and wood. And in the Iron Age, being drowned in the bog was a punishment for certain crimes.
This is the crazy part: Due to the low temperature, high acidity, waterlogged peat, and a few other components, the bog slows down decomposition. A LOT.
A young boy’s body was found there–skin, facial expression, and hair almost fully intact.
According to The Windeby Puzzle, scientists believe the boy was from the Iron Age, though they’re not sure how he ended up in the bog. And that’s where Lowry comes in.
Stories
Lois Lowry researched the Windeby Child, intriguied by the child’s backstory and life before death. She came up with two somewhat plausible stories.
Both stories take place in an Iron Age village, nearby the peat bogs, and feature two courageous main characters.
That’s all I’m gonna say.
Sorry, but it’s too good to spoil. Obviously, both characters end up dead, since they’re based on that Windeby Child, and it IS really, really sad, but…
I kinda like sad books. Maybe because they’re so real, becase this world isn’t always happy endings and pretty characters. Like the Windeby Child, its’ sad sometimes. It hurts.
Anyway. Even though you know they die, the journey to how they get to it is still a mystery. And I found myself interested the whole time.
I know today’s post was a bit of a downer, but trust me–the book is so worth it! I hope you found this helpful, interesting, and/or enjoyable. Stay tuned for more book reviews.
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