Customer Reviews

Hash

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In post-war Sweden a middle-aged reporter--whose articles resemble fairy tales more than real journalism--receives a devastating letter from his editor, ending with the line: I forbid you to write another word! The reporter takes this ban literally and immediately renounces his vocation. But 50 years later, at the age of 107, he unexpectedly finds the ban lifted. He takes up exactly where he left off, chronicling the near-mystical, life-changing effects of Swedish hash (minced meat that is spiced and cured) on a pair of very eccentric men.

This novel was a slow knockout. Lindgren's peculiar creativity snuck up on me, and my enthusiasm for the book just grew and grew through the course of the story. It was a near-perfect blend of enigma, quirky humor, metafiction, and magical realism. In fact, the novel is comparable to some of the better efforts of Haruki Murakami, Richard Brautigan, and Mark Helprin. Here Lindgren has fashioned a piece of absorbing literary whimsy, an ideal read for anyone who enjoys getting lost in a bizarre dream world.

After this, Lindgren's next best novel in English translation is probably Light. However, the story collection Merab's Beauty may be a little better than either of them!

My girlfriend's brother enjoyed the Swedish version of this book and bought me the English version for Christmas. He stated that the Swedish version was written in a distinct dialect that made the book quite funny and enjoyable. He hoped that the translation could capture some of the humour.

I looked forward to reading a tale about the country I'm now living in and started the book on the train ride back from Christmas. Fifty pages in and there was no real plot; I searched my bag for an unread book. After having no luck, I bought a coffee and continued on. Unfortunately, it didn't get any better.

Dialogue was followed by more dialogue, the story wandered around never really getting anywhere interesting. The character's reactions to the unfolding events were usually totally absurd and I sincerely hope that it was part of the intended humour.

I finished the book satisfied that it was finished (there's nothing worse than a 75% read book), but I kept feeling that I'd missed the point or that the story was a metaphor. This may well be the case, but in terms of a story - it's illogical and one dimensional.