Fans of Per Petterson will be delighted by this opportunity to observe Arvid Jansen in his youth from a fresh perspective. In It's Fine By Me, Arvid befriends a boy named Audun. On Audun's first day of school, he refuses to talk or take off his sunglasses; there are stories he would prefer to keep to himself. Audun lives with his mother in a working-class district of Oslo. He delivers newspapers and talks for hours about Jack London and Ernest Hemingway with Arvid. But he's not sure that school is the right path for him and feels that life holds other possibilities. Sometimes tender, sometimes brutal, It's Fine By Me is a brilliant novel from an acclaimed author.
Per Petterson won the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for his masterful novel Out Stealing Horses, hailed as a best book of the year by the New York Times. In I Curse the River of Time, he takes listeners to 1989, when Communism was crumbling all over Europe. Struggling through his divorce, an overwhelmed Arvid Jansen leaves Norway to reconnect with his Danish mother, who has terminal cancer. Arriving in Denmark, Arvid is flooded with memories-of his time there as a child, of vacations with his brothers, and of his days working in a Communist factory. Questioning the choices he's made, he attempts to find a new direction in life. Hailed as "a profoundly gifted novelist" by Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ford, Petterson crafts a striking tale complemented by narrator Jefferson Mays' expressive performance. ". this author's gift is his ability to convey so much emotion in such a spare prose style. Petterson's reputation and the litany of prizes awarded to this work . make [this novel] essential for all literary collections."-Library Journal, starred review
In To Siberia, an unnamed girl-called Sistermine by her beloved brother Jesper-grows up in WWII Denmark, but dreams of escaping to the idyllic countryland in Siberia. The siblings' already uninvolved parents become even more distant after a family member's suicide.
And following the German invasion of Denmark, the now teenaged brother and sister begin to grow apart as well. Jesper longs for the warm southern sun of Morocco, while Sistermine dreams of Siberia's peaceful plains. The siblings' divergent paths are underscored by the intense loneliness of their separation. As Sistermine hopes to be reunited with her brother, she realizes that her dreams of happiness may have passed her by.
Multiple award-winning author Per Petterson delivers an eloquent, meditative novel. Sixty-seven-year-old Trond Sander lives secluded in a far corner of Norway. Casting his mind back to 1948, he recalls a horse stealing prank with his best friend that turned tragic and changed his life forever. ". on a par with . Steinbeck, Berry, and Hemingway, and its emotional force and flavor are equivalent to what those authors can deliver, too."-Booklist, starred review
