The story of a simple humble picture framer in a generational shop that collects Art and cultivates knowledge in the Arts gives one an initial sense of relief that belief in the Arts can be so simple true and absolute. Philisophy and concepts are worthy references to Art are references to high culture these alone make the book a joy. About 3/4 of the way through the book what is simple and wholesome becomes so disfunctional that the story turns into a dark comedy of unsuual phychology and complications.The book ends with a generational religious statement from the narrators grandfather and all is well. You will enjoy this unusually simple and complex book.

This is story from cool forests in Sweden, where live two brothers, Olof and Hadar. They are dying. Their one sence of rest their life is outlive longer than another brother. There is strange woman, writer of biblic figures. She lives in Hadar's cottage and discovers history of their rivalty. This book is full of scandinavian mysterious feel like movies by I.Bergman and abnormal destinies. Torgny LIndgren is contemporery member of Nobel Prize commitee. Sorry for my english, i'm beginer.

I was sucked in my the first line of the review, "A man goes on a journey... plague-ridden rabbit" and I just had to read this book. I love odd fiction, and I was not disappointed. As with all humans, the characters were flawed but I felt compassion and understanding for the decisions they made and their consequences, as none of it could have come about with the most extreme of circumstances, which these people certainly were facing. There was nothing predictable about the book, so I was interested to the very end. I recommend it to anyone looking for fiction that's really "different" to read.

I have read this book three times but only once in English. This is the best book written by Torgny Lindgren! And it means a lot, everything he has written is worth reading! This is a great anecdote in an epic language. The translation works very well, although I miss the dialect. The story is just fantastic. About a small village in Norrland (northern part of Sweden) a long time ago. Life and death in a village hit hard by the Great Sickness. The best is, however, how well the form corresponds to content. The real question is how to distinguish right from wrong? Könik, Önde, Blasius and the others will help you out.

This novel is a disturbing study of a family in debt to a man who takes advantage of that debt is ways which degrade the debtor. There are glimmers of hope as the debtors earn money playing the fiddle for dances in the neighborhood - but even that positive note is destroyed.

This is a well plotted novel - worth reading but definately for those who enjoy a dark novel.