Hornstranders

by Alan Boucher

The salt of the that is how Afi described the Hornstranders—a people living in a remote corner of Iceland—to his grandson Gisli. Gisli's farmer ancestors have battled the fierce Hornstrand for over a thousand years; little has changed since the first settlers appeared in this land of wind and ice, and the Trolls and Hidden People remain as real to Gisli as to his grandfather, for whom the age old stories are part of everyday life. Gisli accepted the shepherding and fishing, the egg gathering and the routine of the farm as the only life until Hulda came to visit from the city. Hulda's chatter of cars and luxury apartments and movies, of gay parties and dances with other young people makes Gisli keenly aware of the restrictions of his life and soon a more urgent problem reminds him of the disadvantages of the remote coast land. Gisli is beset by a very modern dilemma, and the summer proves a time of testing for both him and the gin. This is an unusual and atmospheric story of a little-known community, of which Dr. Boucher writes with sympathy and firsthand knowledge.

Hardcover