Joseph was the fourth son—a kind of mooning boy, greatly beloved and protected by the whole family. He early discovered that a smiling helplessness was his best protection from work. His brothers were tough hard workers, all of them. It was easier to do Joe’s work than to make him do it. His mother and father thought him a poet because he wasn’t any good at anything else. And they so impressed him with this that he wrote glib verses to prove it.
Den här romanen påstår ingenting; den observerar bara, i lågmäld norrbottnisk dialekt. Tystnaden i naturen, den man känner lugn av, kontrasteras implicit mot tystnaden i den ensamma lägenheten i storstaden. Det blir ingen action, inga Stora Problem™, inte så många klara svar heller. Men jag gillade boken skarpt. Man känner liksom gemenskap. ”Här på byn lämnar vi alltid dörren olåst för säkerhetens skull.” Ja, det är precis så man gör. Rekommenderas för alla på landsbygden, i stora städer, med och utan en tydlig platstillhörighet. Man kan i alla fall känna sig hemma i litteraturen.









