Shortlisted for the Eric Hoffer Book Award Grand Prize | Honorable Mention for Historical Fiction, the Eric Hoffer Book Award

Silver Winner, IBPA Book Award

In a time lost to memory, Etana is born with the Sight and a rare gift whispered through her bloodline: she can speak with elephants. When her father promises her in marriage to an older man, Etana chooses the unthinkable—she flees. Escaping the ritual that broke her sister, she slips into the wilderness under the watchful eyes of the Beastgod.

Alone but guided by ancestral spirits and a bond with a mysterious elephant, Etana journeys into the realm of myth. A powerful ruler summons her to tame a ferocious elephant meant for war. But to claim her future, she must master more than beasts—she must face enemies, survive betrayal, and confront a court that thrives on secrets and blood.

As kingdoms clash and gods murmur in dreams, Etana rises from fugitive to warrioress, from outcast to commander. In a world where loyalty is eternal and power demands sacrifice, who will she become when everything she loves is threatened?

Told through the rhythms of oral tradition and infused with magic, myth, and cultural memory, this is a luminous tale of spiritual resilience, feminine power, and the living bond between human and nature.

Readers of The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, The Famished Road by Ben Okri, or Babylonia by Costanza Casati will be enchanted by the magical realism and lyricism of The Weight of Dreams. Because the past still speaks—and sometimes, it sings.

Praise for The Weight of Dreams:

"... it's a world where a large river flows 'to the end of the world and into the stars' and a daughter can be married off for the price of five pelts ... Our Verdict: GET IT" —Kirkus Reviews

"The frame of story-as-legacy—what is remembered, what is forgotten, and who carries hope forward—gives the book a lasting aftertaste." —Book Nerdection, "Must Read" Review

" ... a rapturous adventure about a strong-willed woman's quest to find her place amid a chaotic and dangerous world of warring kingdoms." —Midwest Book Review

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