Love: Winner of the 2019 PEN America Translation Prize Paperback – 7 Nov. 2019

Lovely short story of sorts told from 2 different perspectives - beautifully descriptive - a must read

Isn't it supposed to be in Norwegian?

Good book

"Sounds become so weightless in the cold. Everything does. As if he were a bubble of air himself, ready at any moment to float into the sky and vanish into the firmament."•Set in a remote town in the North of Norway, Love is a short novel that follows Jon and his mother Vibeke through the span of one evening. From the get-go, the narrative intertwines the consciousness of the two characters switching between them which creates this false sense of closeness.•Ørstavik's writing is simple, yet unfailing. The story is told in a series of sequences that seem to parallel each other as both Vibeke and Jon go on with their life separately. Despite the intertwined narratives, it seems to me as if there is a sense of isolation that is mirrored in the landscape surrounding the houses. The winter, the cold, and the snow have served as much a purpose in the narrative as the characters. I could not help, but feel a sense of impending doom, as Jon is going about the little town. I kept seeking him out, hoping this vulnerable, but brave little boy would be left unscathed.•This story is so peculiar and unique in the way it is woven that I do not think I could properly explain it. Love is surely a driving force for both Jon and Vibeke, but their journey to find it never seem to cross paths. It is a must-read for me.•4,5/5~ #fridayinaprilbookreviews