For Zelda, a twenty-one-year-old Viking enthusiast…

who lives with her older brother, Gert, life is best lived with some basic rules:

  1. A smile means “thank you for doing something small that I liked.”
  2. Fist bumps and dabs = respect.
  3. Strange people are not appreciated in her home.
  4. Tomatoes must go in the middle of the sandwich and not get the bread wet.
  5. Sometimes the most important things don’t fit on lists.

Hardcover

E-Book

Audio

Zelda is a marvel, a living, breathing three-dimensional character with a voice so distinctive she leaps off the page…. When We Were Vikings is the tale of Zelda’s quest for autonomy, and MacDonald charts her course admirably.

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The New York Times

Critic

Heartwarming and unforgettable.

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People

Critic

When We Were Vikings is eye-opening and heart-expanding. The mundane and the fantastic meet in a powerful mix of joy and sadness, as Zelda embarks on a legendary quest to gain her independence and protect what’s left of her family. By the last page, you will wish you were part of her tribe, too.

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Bryn Greenwood

New York Times bestselling author of The Reckless Oath We Made and All the Ugly and Wonderful Things

This original debut novel is by turns graphic, charming, moving — and ultimately uplifting.

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Canadian Living Magazine

January / February Books with Buzz Pick

A beautifully written novel . . . Perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Fine and The Silver Linings Playbook.

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Library Reads

A Library Reads Top Ten Book (January 2020)

A sweet, funny, dark, roller coaster ride of a book, about two unforgettable siblings trying to help each other grow up. Zelda is an entirely original character, a young woman with a cognitive disability, trying hard to navigate life on her own terms. But it’s her loving thug of a brother, Gert, that stole my heart. A wonderful book that’s less a novel than a movement, proving we can all be heroes of our own stories.

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Lisa Gabriele

bestselling author of The Winters

You shall not pass! These are the words of Zelda, but also my advice to any reader who is lucky enough to come across this book. Andrew David Macdonald has written of the finest debut novels I have ever encountered, and I have no doubt that he will become as legendary as the beloved Zelda. This book glows, it shines, and most of all, it’s important. Macdonald’s humanity and empathy make this a book worth treasuring. I’ve never, ever read anything like it. Zelda is fresh, she’s fearless, and she gives the reader hope, something so rare these days. She is brave, she is determined, and she will stay with you for all your days to come—there is a Zelda inside all of us, and this delicious book will give you the courage to face the things you fear the most. There is no better gift than a book that can change lives.

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Richard Fifield

author of The Flood Girls

Told with skillful empathy, When We Were Vikings explores a violent world as experienced by Zelda, a girl with a mental disability finding her power. Andrew David MacDonald is a writer to watch, an insightful new voice who invents in ways that feel deeply personal.

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Sabina Murray

PEN/Faulkner Award-winning author of The Caprices

In When We Were Vikings, MacDonald has written one of the most unique heroines I’ve ever read. You can’t help but root for, care about, and thoroughly enjoy Zelda and her quest to be legendary. A most-welcome and wonderful debut.

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Tyrell Johnson

bestselling author of The Wolves of Winter

It is rare that a book comes along with a character like Zelda, whose singular vision of the world transforms your own. Noble, chivalrous, wise, and true, Zelda undertakes a heroic quest that will leave you breathless and profoundly changed. When We Were Vikings is a triumph. It made my heart sing, full-throttle, like a Viking in an opera.

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Jessica Grant

author of Come Thou, Tortoise

One word: Epic. Not since Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird, have I been so moved by a young girl’s earnest narrative.

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Robin Templin

Watermark Books

The guileless Zelda, who narrates, is a joy, and her fierce love for her family drives her, even if it means running headlong into danger. MacDonald avoids oversentimentality and a too-neat resolution, instead depicting Zelda’s desire to shape her own life and be the hero of her own legend with frankness and humor. Readers will be inspired by the unforgettable Zelda.

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Publisher′s Weekly

Critic
In this engaging debut novel, MacDonald skillfully balances drama and violence with humor, highlighting how an unorthodox family unit is still a family. He’s never condescending, and his frank examination of the real issues facing cognitively disabled adults—sexuality, employment, independence—is bracing and compassionate. With Zelda, he’s created an unforgettable character, one whose distinctive voice is entertaining and inspiring.
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Kirkus Reviews

Critic

MacDonald covers very difficult terrain: poverty, lack of health care, violence, child abuse, abandonment, and alcoholism. Yet Zelda prevails and becomes a hero in her own “legend.”….In this well-written and compelling novel, MacDonald conveys Zelda’s particular challenges and succeeds in bringing her to life.

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Library Journal

Critic

Every so often a character transcends the page, leaping into readers’ hearts; when this phenomenon coincides with the debut of a superbly talented author such as Andrew David MacDonald, it’s even more extraordinary. In When We Were Vikings, MacDonald’s captivating, beautifully written and witty novel, he introduces to the literary world an unforgettable protagonist….When We Were Vikings sets [MacDonald] on a trajectory for a most legendary writing career.

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Shelf Awareness

Critic

A truly original story filled with love, tragedy, heartache, and triumph, and his heroine is sure to inspire readers to be legendary themselves.

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Booklist

Critic

Meet the author

Andrew David MacDonald

Andrew David MacDonald

Writer

Andrew is the author of the novel, When We Were Vikings. His award-winning short stories have appeared in literary journals across the US and Canada.