Out Stealing Horses: A Novel | Per Petterson | Hauntingly simplistic yet powerfully empathetic.

Out Stealing Horses: A Novel | Per Petterson | Extraordinary!

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Out Stealing Horse...

	Out Stealing Horses: A Novel Per Petterson Picador, 2008 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 89 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
A TIME MAGAZINE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
WINNER OF THE IMPAC DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD

Out Stealing Horses has been embraced across the world as a classic, a novel of universal relevance and power. Panoramic and gripping, it tells the story of Trond Sander, a sixty-seven-year-old man who has moved from the city to a remote, riverside cabin, only to have all the turbulence, grief, and overwhelming beauty of his youth come back to him one night while he's out on a walk. From the moment Trond sees a strange figure coming out of the dark behind his home, the reader is immersed in a decades-deep story of searching and loss, and in the precise, irresistible prose of a newly crowned master of fiction.

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Hauntingly simplistic yet powerfully empathetic.

This being my first Per Petterson novel I did have my reservations, but I am delighted to say that all the praise this author receives is well earned. I must also add that the names of some of the authors this book beat in the IMPAC is quite impressive. And yet, when you read the editorials the book doesn't sound that interesting. Trond Sander an almost seventy year old man moves to a remote cabin in Norway only to recapture his youth. But once you read the first chapter you'll be fully engaged with the story and you'll truly understand why this book won the awards it did and beat the names it beat. This book is hauntingly simplistic yet the sympathy you will feel for Trond as you relive his losses is anything but. This is truly a masterpiece and worthy of all the praise it receives.

Editor of the highly recommended novel: Fates by Georgiou Tino.

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Extraordinary!

I read this for a book club, intrigued by the reviews but not especially captivated by the synopsis. To my amazement, I was hooked within the first chapter or two and simultaneously didn't want to put it down and didn't want it to end. I literally slowed down my reading in order to savor the last couple of chapters. The premise may not sound especially compelling on the surface, but the narrative quickly develops into an expertly woven tale of family, adolescence, crisis, jealousy and betrayal, which unfolds over three time periods--WWII, 1948 and the present day. This is a book of subtle beauty, where passing references later are illuminated as the full story is revealed. The writing, even in translation, is exquisite--insightful and poetic and yet never overwrought. If you like a fast read with lots of adventure packed into each chapter, this is not the book for you. But if you like engrossing, readable literary fiction of some depth, that shines a light on a time and a culture you may not know, then give it a try.

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Did the acorn fall far from the tree?

Having just retired myself, I can imagine withdrawing to a cabin in a setting (the forest in this case) that, like the main character of this novel, I had missed during the busy years of my life. So, Trond, having spent the last 3 years grieving over the deaths of his wife and sister, finds that he must take action to lessen the hurt, one of the main themes in this fine novel.

This novel is a clever twist on the coming of age story, a flashback on Trond's summer alone with his father at age 15, told when forced to look back on it after an initially unfortunate meeting with his new, closest neighbor, a meeting which ultimately has fortuitous impact. But, what the author seems to wisely know, is that we are always coming of age and that we never quite escape the past's hold on us.

In the past and present, Trond is, with some frequency, dizzy, nauseous, injured, etc., since when he internalizes his emotions, they surface in pain. How he deals with it is one of the lessons he learns from his father during the summer of 1948. It is quite an interesting scene which shows the toughness of a father that any son would find somewhat intimidating.

This is truly an absorbing, beautiful novel and certainly one that needs to be reread (the flashbacks in time were confusing sometimes in having to change years so often to name just one thing). At a mere 258 pages this may not be as difficult to do as rereading Crime and Punishment, which may still be on your "to do" list!

Did leave me wishing for more details like what kind of firm did Trond run, what caused the breakup of his first marriage, why did he consider himself a lucky man, and a few other things that I won't mention in order to not spoil the book for others.

Great for book clubs.

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If your family was from Norway you must read this

I remember when I was a child we always gathered boxes of clothing and food to send to our relatives in Norway during World War II. But the stories of war and betrayal never seemed real to me until I read Petterson's quiet but thrilling book. It allowed me to feel the emotion and determination of the Norwegian people. It made me proud to say, "Grandma was a Norwegian."

Easy to put down.