This was a novel I had waited ages to read. The descriptions of landscape and places in this book are beautiful and I had no problem in conjuring up the images in my mind as the story progressed. The concept of deciding for one's self when things will hurt is something that appeals to me and the story at the end of Trond's trip with his mother explains a lot about how he turnd out as a man. But I can't help but be disappointed at how there was no revelation of what happened to his father in Sweden or afterwards when he didn't return. Perhaps that was the point though, we are left unsatisfied and unknowing,as Trond was.