A review by lisabage
Echoes of the City by Lars Saabye Christensen

emotional hopeful reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This slice of life novel is like living for awhile in post-war Oslo with family and old friends. While there is a plot and a few subplots, they are subtle. The real power of the novel is in the characters and in how their lives intersect and influence each other. A definite recommend for anyone looking for a slower pace of life for a little while. 

This quote from the prologue sets the mood and the pace perfectly while giving a rich description of the place and time.

Let us continue, not that there is any rush; on the contrary we have plenty of time. But to those who wish to accompany us, please adjust to our pace. That is the custom here.

Standing at the back is the best. From there you can see everything you leave behind. However it is not Jesper steering the tram. Not even the conductor is steering. It is the rails. It is the people who laid the rails, who perhaps died years ago, who are still steering the tram.

She looks at her hands. They are getting old, too. They are changing color. They are getting liver spots. They are disgusting. She tries to pull off her wedding ring, which Halfsan bought at David Andersen‘s in 1916 and he slipped on her finger in April of the same year, when her hands were young, before they had their hands full.

“Because the humdrum will lead us to happiness.”