The Heart of Man: 3

"There are novels that make something inside you come awake, and make you want to keep it awake. Maybe that's what a classic is: not only a work that endures but one that makes something endure in you--something that lasts even after you may have forgotten the whole story and the characters' names. Such is the case with the Icelandic novelist Jón Kalman Stefánsson's 'Trilogy About the Boy'."--Salvatore Scibona, New YorkerThe final installment of Jón Kalman Stefánsson's Trilogy About the Boy is a profound exploration of life, love and desire written with a sublime simplicity.After coming through the blizzard that almost cost them everything, the postman Jens and the boy rest in a fishing community at the edge of the world to recover from their ordeal before returning once again to their village. But the northern summers are short and the sea is always present, and fish remain more valuable than men. And the chorus of drowned fisherfolk whisper tales full of silver, regret, smiles, and cruelty, in the hope that hidden within such stories are words that will free us from this tug of war between Heaven and Hell.Set in the awe-inspiring wilderness of the north of Iceland, The Heart of Man concludes a modern Icelandic saga about a boy and the community of the living and dead who congregate around him, offering a profound exploration of life, love, and desire.