A review by gharness
The Unseen by Roy Jacobsen
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
This was my first time reading Jacobsen, and I loved this book. It is admittedly partly because my great-grandfather was born in part of Norway, there are some very direct ties to me. My ancestors left Norway in the 1880s for America, so this book takes place a bit later, but it certainly helps me imagine what those who came before me dealt with.
I loved these characters and how the family, both directly related and found, worked together to build a life on a remote island. It reminded me a lot of Knut Hamsun's Markens Grøde, and to a lesser extent Paul Harding's This Other Eden. The plot is fairly thin, but how the character deal with regular everyday occurrences is beautifully constructed.
I loved these characters and how the family, both directly related and found, worked together to build a life on a remote island. It reminded me a lot of Knut Hamsun's Markens Grøde, and to a lesser extent Paul Harding's This Other Eden. The plot is fairly thin, but how the character deal with regular everyday occurrences is beautifully constructed.