Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The devastating English-language debut from Grytten concerns a Norwegian man who wakes up one rainy November morning in his house on a fjord knowing it will be the day he dies. Nils Vik's knowledge of his fate is not explained, but he's resigned to it as he prepares to take his ferry boat out to sea ("What do you take with you when you know you're not coming back?" Grytten writes). His wife, Marta, died of a stroke some time earlier, and he's lonely and melancholy. At sea, on what turns out to be a Dante-esque voyage, he's joined by the deceased family dog, Luna, as well as the ghosts of passengers he once ferried to and from his village. In addition to these spectral visitations, Nils reflects on other passengers, including a bloodthirsty cop named Trygve, from whom he rescued Luna. Nils also recalls meeting Marta for the first time, and how he instantly fell in love with her for "the way she tucked her hair behind her head." As the journey progresses and more sad and happy memories arise, Grytten skillfully weaves his wistful protagonist's life story without ever leaning on sentimentality. This will linger long in readers' minds. (Nov.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Nils Vik knows that this day, November 18, will be his last when he notices telltale drops of blood on his pillowcase and a shade of pink in the toilet bowl. Nevertheless, the ferry operator readies his vessel for its usual route along the fjord in western Norway. Along the way, his dog Luna, who died 25 years ago, joins him. On route, Nils picks up many of his former passengers, now dead: Nils's former apprentice, a teenager escaping from an abusive family; an American photographer who fled to Norway from Vietnam; the midwife with whom Nils shared a glass of cognac after each birth. All the while, Nils is looking out for the person he most wants to reunite with--his late wife, Marta. The character of Nils conveys patience, wisdom, kindness, and love in a narrative that inevitably brings to mind the Greek myth of Charon, ferrying dead souls across the Rivers of Acheron and Styx to Hades. VERDICT Winner of Norway's highest literary award, this is Grytten's first major work to be translated into English. Against the harsh and beautiful Norwegian landscape backdrop, he reveals the depth and complexity of ordinary lives in this outstanding novel, without even the briefest descent into sentimentality.--Jacqueline Snider
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