Play Book Tag discussion

Heaven and Hell by Jón Kalman Stefánsson - 4 stars - My Review

Set in Iceland at the turn of the 20th century, an unnamed boy, and his friend, Barður, set out to sea with a crew of fishermen. They fish for cod, which provides their livelihood. Barður is so taken with reading Paradise Lost that he forgets his weatherproof jacket and dies in the cold. The boy is stricken with grief and debates suicide. He undertakes a journey to return the book, and meets the people living in a small Icelandic town.

I read the English translation by Phil Roughton from the original Icelandic. It is superbly written in a stream-of-consciousness style. The narrator is first person plural, and implies that it is narrated by the spirits of those who formerly lived in the town. It is a book about mortality and finding beauty in life despite its harshness: “Human life is a constant race against the darkness of the world, the treachery, the cruelty, the cowardice, a race that often seems so hopeless, yet we still run and, as we do, hope lives on.”

The writing is evocative of a cold, austere environment. The reader can almost feel the elements. “The mountains deepen the calm and they also magnify the winds, which can rush wildly into the fjord, arctic winds full of murderous intent, and everything that is not securely fastened blows away and disappears.”

I think the first half, describing the trip to sea and Barður’s death, is stronger than the second, which tells of the boy’s journey. The journey and aftermath become fragmented and philosophical. It will appeal to those who enjoy descriptive lyrical prose. This is a quiet contemplative book. It is easy to use it as a jumping off point to question one’s own life and attitude toward it.

“What are you, life? Perhaps the answer is found in the question, the wonder that is implicit in it. Does the light of life dwindle and turn to darkness as soon as we stop wondering, stop questioning and take life like every other commonplace thing?”

Joy, after having read two books recently by an Icelandic author, I was very interested in your review. It sounds like the book you read was beautifully written and so is your review.

Holly R W wrote: "Joy, after having read two books recently by an Icelandic author, I was very interested in your review. It sounds like the book you read was beautifully written and so is your review."
Thank you, Holly. I hope you get a chance to read it.