A review by ajsterkel
Italian Shoes by Henning Mankell

2.0

I didn’t think it was possible, but this novel might have too much death for me. Everything that comes to the main character’s private island ends up dying, even the wildlife. It gets depressingly repetitive. I understand what the author was going for: The main character has isolated himself so much that he’s not really living anymore. This book is the story of him reclaiming his life. That’s great, but I had a hard time believing some of the characters’ behavior. The main character is insufferably selfish. If you need likeable main characters, you should probably avoid this one. It is well-written and atmospheric, though.


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