The Arctic does strange things to people, or strange people come to the Arctic. It makes little difference.
I selected this novel based on the life a historic fur trapper north of the Artic Circle out of an ongoing curiosity regarding hermits and life on the edge. I wondered why a man would choose to live beyond the reach of others, and here the story did not disappoint, for Seal-f@cker Sven, as he was called in jest, was already a young man adrift when a mining accident hideously disfigured him into an object of revulsion. Cleaving to a trapping mentor who becomes a lifelong friend, Sven apprentices for five years before he is deemed capable of surviving alone. Sven learns to tend his equipment, mush a reindeer, sneak up on a polar bear, and guard his sanity with routines and a faithful dog. Then his niece, another social outcast joins him, and the story takes a happy turn for a spell as she, a young lesbian, raises a daughter born of a rape. Depression bordering on madness subsides with her arrival and the delights of childish wonder until the story turns tragic when the family caves to the carnal pleasures of summer in the city.
I anticipated lessons in wildlife but came away with considerably less knowledge than I could glean from a TV documentary. I expected to understand cold on a new level, but the poetic language necessary to convey misery was too often lacking. I wanted Sven to love his life, but instead found that he was merely able to tolerate it. The story is well written but too politically preachy and off-topic to hold my hopes. I finished more out of a sense of duty than involvement with the characters.
Just shy of 11 hours on Audible with narration by Olafur Darri Olafsson, whose characterization sounds thoroughly authentic, if a bit rushed and flat. To watch an interview with the author, click here.