Doghead by Morten Ramsland
Fiction
Winner of Denmark’s Book of the Year and Author of the Year awards and a big seller across Europe, this quirky novel is the tale of a rather dysfunctional Scandinavian family, told as a series of sometimes disturbing but often very funny vignettes. Ramsland describes his style of writing as “grotesque realism” and he does not seem to subscribe to any taboos but loves improbable situations. The family members’ tales may –or may not- be truly told, but their stories are never dull. Amongst the many members of this colorful family, there is grandpa Askild, obsessed with cubism which always seems to find its way into his work designs at the shipyard (and repeatedly gets him fired); nephew Applehead, who is the first (but not last) to have a certain part of his anatomy tattooed; Askild’s wife Bjork, a woman to reckon with; and Jug Ears, born in an outhouse and father of narrator Asger (who believes himself responsible for his grandfathers death). Definitely not for everyone, this book can seem bizarre and exuberant at the same time, it zigs and zags all over the place and bodily fluids make a repeat appearance. Those who stick with it, however, will be rewarded by quite an exciting ride and a story with characters that will stay with you long after the last page has been turned.
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