Tuesday, March 20, 2007

The Price of Water in Finistère

Title: The Pice of Water in Finistère
Author: Bodil Malmsten
Vintage, 2006

We follow Bodil Malmsten to France and her new life there in this biographical novel. The language is clipped, terse and the translation does not reveal any disturbing Swedishisms. The style, however, does. Especially as we near the end. Our famous svårmod (melancholy) rears its ugly head and since I'm allergic to it, I throw a fit and rush through the last part of the book. However, I enjoyed this novel more than I thought I would and I hope that Malmsten's quirky, quietly rebellious mood will stay with me rather than the melancholy at the end.

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