By Per Petterson
Rated: PG-13
In a small cabin by a lake in Norway, Trond is finding peace with his life and the loss he has recently suffered. Isolated and rustic with only one nearby neighbor and in need of a lot of TLC, it is exactly what Trond is looking for to find meaning in each moment. But a chance meeting with his neighbor stirs old memories and Trond finds himself returning to in his mind to the summer of 1948, when he was just 15 years old. Finds himself returning to another cabin hired by his dad for just the two of them. It was a glorious summer hanging out with 15-year-old Jon, who shows up at the cabin door with the wildest ideas. It was a perfect summer. . . until tragedy strikes. And Trond's understanding - of his world, of his father, of himself, of Jon, of relationships, of everything - was forced to change.
A fairly interesting story that is presented in a somewhat unusual way and one that answers some questions, hints at others and leaves you to fill in the gaps. The style is a little clipped but it works. There is a sexual component, which is why this is rated PG-13: a crush on an older woman, reference to an affair, and a couple of episodes of teenage lustful thoughts. Curse words are used rarely but there are a few instances. There is also a couple of episodes of violence. For the above reasons, this is rated for adults.
