One of the only nice things about being laid up after surgery is the chance to do more reading. While I was in the hospital I had a chance to finish Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson. It was the type of book that rarely comes along for me. Usually I find myself racig through a plot, immersed in the characters, anxious to reach the climax of the story.
This book, however, started out with the climax. It was the type of book that made me want to limit myself to two or three pages per sitting, so that it would last longer. I wanted it to be an everlasting gobstopper. The language was so beautiful, and so thought provoking. I have a passage marked to share, but of course I immediately loaned it to my sister, so I can’t look it up right now. A short but very good read, with a fascinating ending.
Ruth,
Glad you’re feeling better,and thanks for the encouragement with the blog. So does the book start with the theft and devolve backwards?
Bruce
Hi Bruce,
In a way it does start with a sort of theft… but also an even more dramatic or traumatic event, but it continually flashes between past & present. From the title, I thought the book would be about horse theives, but it really was about a boy coming of age, World War II, and a father-son relationship. More about how we know each other or don’t know each other. I highly reccomend it!
R