Good Reads & Views

Men in My Situation: A Novel by Per Petterson
Fiction

What it's about: After Arvid’s parents and two brothers perish in a ferry accident, his wife divorces him and takes their three daughters with her. For the next year, Arvid drinks, has many one-night stands, and often sleeps and drives around in his old Mazda, but fails to deal with his grief. Then the oldest daughter, Vigdis, reaches out to him for help and Arvid is finally forced to come to terms with the trajectory his life has taken.

Reviewers say: “Petterson has written a beautifully nuanced, deeply felt, and powerful story of survival” (Library Journal); “Petterson's bracing latest captures the rhythms and anomie of grief…” (Publishers Weekly).

Good to know: The narrative style here is almost stream of consciousness writing but with its often simple, yet elegant prose, it accentuates Arvid’s story instead of distracting from it. If you liked the author’s award winning Out Stealing Horses, you should also enjoy this portrait of a life going to pieces.

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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.