Re Cap

Good meeting last night. Thanks to Julie for the great snacks and warm fire! It seems there are quite a few folks who didn't get to finish "Out Stealing Horses". Hopefully our discussion didn't spoil the ending. Personally, I loved the book. I felt that Per Petterson's writing was superb and the characters, like people in life, were complicated, mysterious and very real. There was some debate as to whether the author left too many blank spots, too many unanswered questions. I didn't feel that way. As Trond himself said, people didn't know him. Not his wife(s) or daughters or even his good neighbor Lars. And we the readers were left with only a vague impression of who he was and what his life had been like. Isn't that all we can say about everyone we meet?

This holds true for the other main characters. Petterson gave us a taste of what life was like for poor unfortunate Lars. He didn't spell it our for us, giving us details of what happened after that fateful summer, but he gave us enough raw material to imagine a life for Lars (staying on the farm with his mother and stepfather, his brother's unexpected return, his decision to leave it all behind). Then there is Trond's father. Again, we are left to fill in the gaps of his life and imagine one for him (his romance with fellow resistance fighter, the events of the summer that lead him to a point where his life could change, the abandonment of his family). Even Franz and Jon - they were people who came into the story, changed events, left their mark, and then moved back into the shadows.

We also wondered about how much was lost in the translating of the book. Petterson created some beautiful prose and I can't help but wonder what it would be like to read it in its original language.

I hope others enjoy the book as much as I did. Our next selection is "The Book Thief" which I will start a separate post for. There are lots of reviews, discussion ideas and even videos out there. Happy reading!