Italian Shoes
Mankell continues to write literary fiction in addition to his popular crime series starring Swedish policeman Kurt Wallander. This time he tells the story of a lonely old man living alone on an isolated island. Why is former surgeon Fredrik Welin hiding on his grandparents’ island? Can anything break him loose from his self-imposed exile? These two questions guide this short, beautiful, and ultimately life-affirming novel, as first one woman and then another enter Fredrik’s island prison. It starts with Harriet, the girlfriend he abandoned more than 30 years before, who suddenly appears on the frozen bay clinging to a walker. Mankell’s Kurt Wallander readers will appreciate his use of the themes of decay and danger in modern Swedish society, here represented by the dying island communities and the algae-clogged Baltic Sea. This complex novel also addresses themes of redemption and self-understanding, similar to Mankell’s Eye of the Leopard (2008) and Kennedy’s Brain (2007). The premise and tone also suggest Norwegian author Per Petterson’s Out Stealing Horses (2007). Mankell’s increasing popularity makes this a good choice for all public libraries. --Jessica Moyer--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.