And the Wind Sees All

Item: And the Wind Sees All
Author: WhichBook

Gudmundur Andri Thorsson

This novel places the reader inside the moment as a young woman cycles down a street in a small fishing community. I loved the repetition of words and phrases, which evoke a feeling of familiarity and ease even when the narrative takes on a darker tone. Away from Reykjavík's cultural hot spots, this is the perfect book for the mindful traveller wishing to leave the crowds behind.

Extract

A village is not just the movement of the surf and a life of work, the clattering of a motorboat, or dogs that lie in the sunshine with their heads on their paws. It's not only the smell of the sea, oil, guano, life and death, the fish and the funny house names. It's also a chronicle that moves softly through the streets, preserving an elemental image of the village created piece by piece over the course of centuries. This is us, what we are like, the people of Valeyri, we here, we.

Parallels