Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A journey from Norway to Denmark becomes a life-changing rite of passage in Petterson's beautifully understated story, first published in 1989 and set to publish in the states alongside the author's Men in My Situation. Both books feature protagonist Arvid Jansen. Here, Arvid is 12, and the death of his infant brother several years earlier has cast a pall over the family. An inveterate reader, Arvid lives vicariously through Huck Finn, Martin Eden, and Pelle the Conqueror, and while visiting his grandparents in Jutland with his parents and older sister, Gry, he imagines having adventures in the region's rugged terrain. Arvid falls in with a brash older boy, Mogen, who lusts after Gry and says he wishes Arvid were a girl. Arvid also has a strong bond with a widowed aunt, who gives him a book of poetry originally intended for her husband. Later on, Arvid's mother asks, "What's wrong with this family?" "Nothing," his father replies. A budding writer, Arvid keenly observes this exchange but doesn't yet understand its implications. Petterson's portrayal of the inner life of a preteen boy is precise and moving, and the remarkable prose captures the landscape as well as the painful deterioration of Arvid's parents' marriage. This early work from a master leaves an indelible mark. (Feb.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Originally published in 1989 and appearing in the United States for the first time, this debut from Dublin IMPAC Award winner Petterson (Out Stealing Horses) follows Arvid Jansen, a 12-year-old boy from Norway. (He's seen as a grown-up in Petterson's forthcoming Men in My Situation.) While visiting his grandparents in Denmark, Arvid begins to notice complexities within his family. His grandfather, a woodworker, is forever strict and tight-lipped while his religious grandmother tends to sit, weep, and run her store. There are signs of his parents' troubled marriage, grief over the loss of a child, and catastrophic experiences during World War II. As the summer progresses, Arvid becomes aware of changes in his beloved sister, Gry, as she matures, and he experiences his own sexual awakening. Petterson writes like a jazz musician, in percussive, lyrical, vivid prose; describing the journey by boat from Norway to Denmark, he recounts the bounce of each wave and the smell of the sea air. Allusions to the characters' past lives and motivations appear throughout, but, effectively, much remains hidden. VERDICT Merging time and memory to reveal the trauma, confusion, and exhilaration of growing up, this coming-of-age novel proves that Petterson's immense talent was on display from the very first.--Jacqueline Snider, Toronto
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
This new translation of Norwegian author Petterson's first novel--about a 12-year-old Norwegian boy's summer holiday with his working-class family--sets the stage for many of his later novels. As Arvid Jansen arrives in Sweden by ferry, he shows genuine excitement at returning to the familiar yet slightly exotic homeland of his mother--the heroine of To Siberia (2008)--where his grandparents still live, but his pure joy won't last. Arvid appeared as a younger, generally happy child in Pettersen's debut short story collection, Ashes in My Mouth, Sand in My Shoes (2014). Here the tone is less coming-of-age than loss of innocence. Over the summer, Arvid's awareness of adult issues and his own complex feelings grow and darken. With disgust he watches the attraction between his slightly older sister, Gry, and his friend Mogens blossom into teen romance. Arvid himself sees a couple making love at the beach and later has an unsettling, vaguely sexual interaction with the woman involved. Digging into the secrets surrounding his grandparents, Arvid becomes closer to his mother as he learns the facts behind the death of her beloved brother Jesper (also important in To Siberia), whom he resembles. On the other hand, he goes from allowing his father to hold his hand in public to ignoring his attempts at conversation to outright hostility. While the ending stirs a sense of dread about Arvid's immediate future, readers of the subsequent, melancholic Arvid novels already translated into English know that he grows up to become a successful if tortured writer; those readers will be fascinated by how Pettersen has knowingly or unknowingly planted the seeds of the later works here, including the importance of boats, Arvid's interest in American literature, and his horror of divorce. In this slim work, Pettersen writes with minimalist reticence--a remark here, a detail there--to create poignant lyricism. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
