Review: The Birds

The Birds by Tarjei Vesaas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I don't really pay much attention to how others have rated the books I read until after I read them, as I don't want to be influenced by those ratings. It's happened that I completely love a book that other people have rated low and vice-versa.

In this case, I seem to be in the 20% that didn't rave about it, as I found the book very slow. Or maybe it just wasn't the book for me? I have to say that it is beautifully written and translated, and that is why for me, it is a 3 star read.

Mattis and Hege, brother and sister, have lived together all their lives. Mattis is mentally disabled and Hege works all day long to support both of them. Though he is physically fit, he struggles to find work and he never helps around the house either. Hege talks with the fewest possible words while Mattis talks and talks, his musings making her angry. When Jørgen, a lumberjack, arrives to their small town and boards with them, he and Hege fall in love, and Mattis is completely left out. While he understands nature, he can't understand this.

This seemed to me a book full and sadness and despair.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

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