Library / Letting Go of the Past
Read this when
Out Stealing Horses
He moved to a cabin in the woods to be left alone. Then his new neighbour turned out to be the kid from the worst summer of his life. 🐎
Who it's for
Trond, 67, has moved alone to a remote cabin after his wife's death, and a chance meeting with a neighbour pulls him back to the summer of 1948, when his friend Jon's family was struck by tragedy and his own father left for good.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Per Petterson's 2003 Norwegian novel, translated into English by Anne Born, follows Trond Sander, 67, who in 1999 retreats alone to a remote cabin and recognises a neighbour from his childhood. The meeting returns him to the summer of 1948, when at 15 he spent days with his friend Jon, including taking local horses for rides, until a fatal gun accident struck Jon's family.
Where to find it
In print (Anne Born translation, e.g. Picador/Graywolf); available from libraries (Libby/Hoopla) and as an audiobook. Not public domain.
Before you start
Heads up: A child's accidental shooting death.
Age: Ages 16+
Life has become richer by the love that has been lost.Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds, no. 223
