Abi's review
The Fish Can Sing
by Halldór Kiljan Laxness
Abi's review
The Fish Can Sing by Halldór Kiljan Laxness
Abi's review
rating:
bookshelves:
20th-century,
icelandic
recommended for: Those looking for interesting and original writing
My second Laxness novel after Independent People, this is lighter in subject matter, and more lyrical in style. It is a charming novel dealing with the coming of age of Alfgrimur, an orphan brought up by his 'grandparents' in a small village in Iceland (Reykjavik, in the days when it was a small village). It is not your typical coming of age novel though; it is profoundly odd in a way that is difficult to explain but that stems mainly from the mysterious Garðar Holm, the singer reminiscent in some ways of Nonni from Independent People. You can kind of tell it's going to be odd from the title, which is one of the things that drew me to read this after first falling in love with Laxness. This novel definitely deserves more than one reading to fully appreciate it, and is certainly not for everyone. It is definitely worth the effort though for the stunning, as always, Laxnessian descriptions and musings of childhood, and it is an...more
