Kevin From Canada offered an intriguing review of this novel,so I decided to take the plunge!
An old man in a nursing home in Sweden writes in his notebook. He was a journalist until his editor found out that everything that he wrote was fiction. The editor forbade the journalist to write another word; he followed the order until the editor had died. He assumed that he was now free from the edict.
The old man writes about two men in northern Sweden who ride a motorcycle looking for the best hash (a type of stew, with everything thrown into the pot). The first man is Robert Maser , an ex-Nazi official; he now works as a peddler selling clothes. The other man is the school teacher, Lars Hogstrom.
Lars contracted TB in his childhood and spent most of his youth in the sanitarium. When he was cured, he really didn’t want to go out into the world. ““The whole sanitarium, all its corridors and stairs and lobbies, full of the constant smells of stewing, and new-bake bread and cloves and oranges. Where in the world shall I be able to find such nourishing and well-cooked food?” He was particularily fond of the potted pork with mashed turnip and potato and pickled gherkin or beetroot. And herring pie with melted butter.”
Living in a foodie-loving place such as New Orleans, I can understand someone being fond of food, but these entrees sound unappetizing to me.
Lars asks for and get assigned the most tubercular school district in the northern Sweden. Both he and Robert are newcomers and find out (funnily) that they share a love of music and sang together some evenings. And later on, they go on the hash quest during the summer.
Everyone in the district makes their version of hash (even the winter ones) and wait for the men to taste and comment on their hash.
When Lars and Martin go to Ellen’s home, to taste her hash, “they broke off small fragments with their fingers and pressed them against the roof of their mouths, where the hash dissolved on its own accord and trikletle over their tongues and molars. They didn’t chew, they let the air filter in between their lips so that nothing of the experience would be lost, and they delayed swallowing as long as they could.”
Between the story of the people in this region of Sweden, the novel goes back to telling the story of the journalist and his life in the nursing home. This portion of the novel (and Lars’ unethusiatic return to work) can be seen as a comment on the government’s policy to take care of everyone. The home had an obligation to take care of the journalist but now the administrators were worried about the costs; he kept on living and didn’t die.
Two words of caution. The novel is a bit strange. It doesn’t really follow in the traditional pattern, but you will get accustomed to the rhythm. Another think is the descriptions of what is put into the hash can turn your stomach. Don’t read this after a nice meal.
The format reminded me of Magnus Mills’ works. Both authors make commentaries on their worlds, but there is really not too much action. Both writers have the characters going in circles or loops as they live out their lives. You have to be in the right mindset to enjoy this novel and any of Magnus Mills’ works.
I am going to look for more of Lindgren’s novels to discover whether they follow the same pattern.
This novel follows a similar format as Star of the Sea: a headline, a little summary about what will happen in this chapter, occasional photographs or drawings, and ballads.This story of the aftermath of the Civil War, told by many voices.
I started this novel in January but had to put it down, because of my spring graduate classes. I did have to review the beginning parts of the novel so I could pick it up again.
Eliza Duane Mooney, Mary's daughter from Star of the Sea, decides to walk from Baton Rouge, LA to a northern territory state, to look for her brother. The boy, Jeremiah, was a drummer boy for the Confederates and never came back. She heard (and I don’t know how!) that he was still alive and living up North. But, her trip was anything but pleasant; be prepared for graphic descriptions of her troubles.
Up in the cold northern territory (it's not a state yet, but it's close to Canada), the acting governor is trying to forget the horrors of war. James C. O’Connor was sentenced in Ireland to live in the penal colony of Australia, managed to escape and moved to the United States, where he fought on the Union side of the Civil War He became important on the lecture circuit, telling his story.
Two women play an important part in the telling of the novel. A former slave, Elizabeth Longstreet, lived in his home; she later moved to Liberia. O’Connor married the very rich socialite, Lucia-Cruz Rodriguez y Ortega McLelland.
You need to read this novel continuously. There are many characters, telling the story from their viewpoints, so that it’s easy to lose your place.
I learned about many aspects of the Civil War that I didn’t learn about in school.
I found this novel more difficult to read than Star of the Sea. Even though both deal with events that disrupted the lives of many people (The Irish Potato Famine vs the Civil War), O’Connor brought these events down to a personal level, so we could experience what the characters felt. However, the effects of the Civil War marked everyone more deeply than I thought possible.
This counts as a book for the War Through the Generations Reading Challenge - Civil War. I've set my goal low this year due to graduate school.
In a large European city (most probably London), there are bus drivers who go round and round on their routes. The purpose of their work is not to take people from point A to point B, but to maintain the balance of the bus system.
If you finish the run too early, you will be chided. If you finish too late, you will also be chided. When obstacles are in the way (such as street repairs), the managers throw hissy fits and the drivers become stressed out.
The conversations between the bus drivers goes something like this. Jeff comments: . “ “Is there a difference between early running and running early?” he enquired. “Not really, “ I said. “Early running is the generic form. Running early is the deed itself.””
As in all of Mills’ novels so far, there are wry comments and commentaries on British life. For example, during a break, the guys were talking about the university graduates (who were hired by the company) and their failure to come up with an appropriate slogan. The narrator commented that it was a waste of taxes. However, Edward remarked “”The purpose of taxation is to spend other people’s money, “ he explained. “Therefore, by definition, it cannot be wasted. “”
In another phase of Mills’ life, he worked as a bus driver in London. So, the novel probably has some realistic scenes in it.
