Thursday 3 January 2013

The Brothers by Asko Sahlberg


The Brothers is the sixth book out of a total of nine that Lyndsay from Tolstoy is my Cat and I are reading as part of a read-along of novellas published by Peirene Press.  We've completed the Female Voices and Male Dilemmas series; The Brothers is the first in the series entitled Small Epics.  I've been looking forward to this series all along as I love epic fiction, although I'm more used to it in chunkster rather than novella form!

The Brothers is about Henrik and Erik, Finnish brothers in 1809 who fought on opposing sides of the war between Sweden and Russia, that made Finland a part of the Russian Empire.  Although they share blood, there has long been conflict between them, and when Henrik finally returns home, it's to a broken house full of people that hide secrets of their own.  In the wintery wilderness, Henrik and Erik must face up to each other and the revelations that are to come.

I enjoyed The Brothers, mainly for the atmosphere.  I read this novella in one go on New Year's Day, snuggled up in a blanket with the heating turned up.  So it was wonderful to read about the icy Finnish winter, the rugged Farmhand, the distant wife and the frozen rivers.  On the back cover, it states that The Brothers is a 'Shakespearean drama from icy Finland' and the atmosphere reminded me a cross between Hamlet and a Brothers Grimm fairy tale.  I wanted to dive right into this book, the setting was that vivid.

Despite the historical elements, The Brothers is mainly a story about what can happen to people when they live in isolation from larger communities.  Some of the drama and secrets centre around Erik's wife, Anna, but in a way that's inevitable as she's the only woman we read about existing in the community of what seems to be only two houses.  When you live so shut off, boundaries between relationships blur and people have to take on multiple roles in your life.  That said, I didn't guess the big reveal near the end (although there are plenty of smaller reveals along the way) and I loved that Sahlberg was able to surprise me.

Although I very much enjoyed this book, there was a distance from the characters that stopped me loving it. I don't mind less than perfect characters, so the flaws of Henrik didn't concern me, but it was written in a style that reflected the cold, icy Finnish winter.  Whilst I admired the writing, this technique also stopped me from connecting with any of the characters properly, and it was this that made me only like the book, rather than love it.  It is a wonderfully written book though, and well worth reading for the atmosphere alone.

Source: From the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
Published: 2011
Score: 4 out of 5

8 comments:

  1. The current Dutch weather feels more like spring is on its way than icy Finnish winter. I wouldn't mind a little cold (nor snuggling up with a good novel/novella and a hot mug of tea!) For a novella, it seems that the author has done a wonderful job conveying the lives of these two brothers in a cold, isolated world.

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    1. It's not very cold here either, a bit disappointing for January!
      Reading this novella made me want to take a trip to somewhere icy.

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  2. Hey Sam, I so glad you liked this one as much as I did! I found it absolutely stunning, and I also found it a joy to be so snuggly in real life but so chilly in my head :) What a great book.

    Btw, you know how we talked about another readathon in 2013? I'm going to do this 'War and Peace' one, if you fancy it too? http://irisonbooks.com/2012/12/04/a-year-long-read-along-of-war-peace/#comment-11966

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it too Lyndsay, I'm looking forward to reading your review in a bit :)

      And talk about great minds think alike! I signed up for the same war and peace readathon earlier the same day :P

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  3. I thought this was definitely a winter book preferably tucked up with a glass of malt & an open fire.

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    1. Yes, perfect for January. It wouldn't have felt so atmospheric in the height of summer.

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  4. I have loads of these books on my Kindle, I should probably sort through them for my translation challenge! I do like the sound of the atmosphere in this one.

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  5. Love when a book seems to fit the mood and climate so perfectly. Sounds like an interesting read and the read-along even more so. Wonderful to consider books both alone and together.

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