A review by carolined314
We, the Drowned by Carsten Jensen

5.0

I was utterly seduced by this Scandinavian tale. There's a delicious folktale aspect about this, but it's also anchored in modern sensibilities. There are enough details that you feel you are hanging out directly with the characters, feeling their shivers, tasting their ginger biscuits, smelling the salty air. As the story grows and pinwheels, you realize you're following the tale of the whole town, rather than any individual. And from that departure point, there's a whole range of stories that veer into the fantastical, the practical, the shrunken heads, the boys with skulls...

I highly recommend this book, to anyone. Don't let the mournful title put you off; it's remarkably full of life.