Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This haunting English-language debut by Djupvik opens as a father and child narrator sit together at a breakfast table. Loose line drawings with occasional saturated color by Torseter (The Most Beautiful Story) envision the child inviting the father to go fishing, though straightforward text notes, "Father doesn't like the fjord much anymore." They set out, the father worrying about the narrator falling in ("Sometimes I want to fall in, I want to go down there"), and the father's efforts at fishing result in his catching "my very own brother." It's an uncanny, surreal moment, the sibling shown as limp but seemingly alive. When they get him home, they bathe and revive him--though he never speaks--and put him to bed. The next morning, the brother wanders to a place in the forest where he encounters a being he once loved, and Father says "he can stay no longer.... You and I will stay." Capturing the sense of closure and peace the brother's visit gives the grieving family ("Now we know he exists"), this lingering work envisions a tender, deliberate farewell. Character skin tones reflect the white of the page. Ages 5--9. (Mar.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Loss lingers in the air. After having a strange dream, a young girl asks her somber father to go out with her on the fjord. Though he's reluctant, they sail onto the water and set out their fishing lines. To their shock, they catch an elongated, emaciated boy, who appears to be the girl's recently deceased brother. After taking him back home and tending to him, the father and the young narrator get to celebrate one more night with their son and brother. The next morning, the boy walks back out to the sea; the surviving members of the family are now able to continue living their lives, though they'll always have their memories. Originally published in Norway, this is a meditative musing on grief and the different journeys people take along the way. Torseter's spare yet detailed illustrations effectively match the mood of the family. Earlier scenes featuring heavy crosshatching and a washed-out palette give way to spreads full of color that fill the page, showing that life eventually goes on, even after loss. Djupvik's straightforward text captures the emotions felt while one is deep in mourning. All characters have skin the white of the page. A sophisticated look at the process of grief. (author's and illustrator's notes)(Picture book. 6-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
