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imyril's review
3.0
This is a coming-of-age novel about grief, responsibility, commitment and finding yourself in unexpected places. In some ways it feels above my likes and dislikes, but I rather enjoyed it.
Narrator Arnljotur leaves Iceland after the death of his mother to travel to a European monastery and resurrect their once-famous rose garden, leaving behind his aging father, his autistic twin brother and the accidental daughter he fathered one drunken evening in his mother's greenhouse. The narrative is self-conscious, Arnljotur being very concerned with visual memory and his physical experiences; the sensations and actions of his body sometimes take him by surprise (some readers suggest he's well along on the autism spectrum himself, and I can see where they're coming from, but I don't disbelieve in him as an awkward 22-year-old). His thinking often (inadvertently?) dehumanises as he struggles to categorise and make sense of the world; those who hate novels called The X's Y may well struggle with his tendencies to see people in these terms rather than by their names.
When Anna brings his daughter to Europe and asks him to take care of her while Anna finishes her thesis, Arnljotur undergoes a series of rapid realignments with the support of his friend Father Thomas (and his extensive knowledge of non-Hollywood cinema) and the culinary encouragement of the community. His uncertainty and inexperience are endearing and amusing; while I felt there was a lot more going on that met the eye, I chose not to engage in literary interpretation, and just enjoyed this for the simple, quiet story that the surface presents.
My only real criticism is that the ending felt rather abrupt and unsatisfying - I wanted more closure, or at least a sense of more completion on the journey; instead, it felt we left Arnljotur on the brink of a new journey, but it was unclear where it would lead or what his choices would be.
Narrator Arnljotur leaves Iceland after the death of his mother to travel to a European monastery and resurrect their once-famous rose garden, leaving behind his aging father, his autistic twin brother and the accidental daughter he fathered one drunken evening in his mother's greenhouse. The narrative is self-conscious, Arnljotur being very concerned with visual memory and his physical experiences; the sensations and actions of his body sometimes take him by surprise (some readers suggest he's well along on the autism spectrum himself, and I can see where they're coming from, but I don't disbelieve in him as an awkward 22-year-old). His thinking often (inadvertently?) dehumanises as he struggles to categorise and make sense of the world; those who hate novels called The X's Y may well struggle with his tendencies to see people in these terms rather than by their names.
When Anna brings his daughter to Europe and asks him to take care of her while Anna finishes her thesis, Arnljotur undergoes a series of rapid realignments with the support of his friend Father Thomas (and his extensive knowledge of non-Hollywood cinema) and the culinary encouragement of the community. His uncertainty and inexperience are endearing and amusing; while I felt there was a lot more going on that met the eye, I chose not to engage in literary interpretation, and just enjoyed this for the simple, quiet story that the surface presents.
My only real criticism is that the ending felt rather abrupt and unsatisfying - I wanted more closure, or at least a sense of more completion on the journey; instead, it felt we left Arnljotur on the brink of a new journey, but it was unclear where it would lead or what his choices would be.
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