A review by thebooktrail88
And the Wind Sees All by Andrew Cauthery, Guðmundur Andri Thorsson, Björg Árnadóttir

4.0

Visit the locations in And the Wind Sees All

This series of stories takes place in a fishing community in the north of Iceland. It’s more of a series of vignettes about life there and the variety of people who live there. It reads like a movie – a girl on a bike is on her way to the choir. Along the way she passes various people who have lived on the island for years. They are just as much part of the island as the island is of them.

The wind blows and as the girl cycles past someone, they enter the story. It’s the literary equivalent of looking through the window, and wondering what each person you see is doing. It’s not a linear story, but one that suggests wondering and wandering.

The series of thoughts weaves and changes direction much like the wind does. A very apt title for how the story reads and flows. It’s as if this wind blows through each of their lives, revealing snippets and memories before fading away. I felt as if was a quiet onlooker, secretly gaining an insight into a variety of people. In such a small place, everyone must know each other well, yet each of them felt like very secretive individuals. I felt a bit like the character of Death in The Book Thief. It’s amazing what you learn when you listen and gain access into someone’s inner thoughts.

It’s a very slow paced read and there’s no plot as such. This is a fleeting visit to one small part of the world. You feel the brevity of the visit, but the long chain of memories and secrets you take away with you.

The writing is lyrical and poetic. If there is a message to this story, I would say that even though people live close together and you think they know each other, they often don’t. It’s only the wind, that is able to float by between each one with a wisp of their secrets in its wake.