Simon's Family: A Novel of Mothers and Sons [Paperback]

Marianne Fredriksson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 4, 2000

In her #1 international bestseller Hanna's Daughters, Marianne Fredriksson brilliantly evoked three generations of mothers, daughters, and the men in their lives. Now, in her haunting new novel, she traces the extraordinary relationship between a mother and son and the remarkable family they inhabit. The search for who we are and where we came from . . . the yearning for reconciliation between parent and child . . . the ever-shifting nature of what makes a family--Marianne Fredriksson weaves these elements into a powerful story of survival and transcendence, sacrifice and forgiveness, showing how even the most damaged heart can heal in the most unexpected ways. . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Swedish novelist Fredriksson follows her international bestseller, Hanna's Daughters, with a chronicle, set before and during WWII, of two families and the schoolboy friendship that links them. When 11-year-old Simon Larsson visits the home of his Jewish classmate Isak Lentov, he discovers how the wealthy live. When Isak visits Simon, he finds nurturing love in the care of Simon's mother, Karin; soon he moves in with the Larssons. As the boys grow up together, Simon emulates the intellectual pursuits of Isak's father, Ruben, while Isak strives to gain the craftsmanship and manual strength of Simon's father, Erik. At first, the evil in Germany seems far away; then as Erik goes off to the army, news of atrocities abroad reach home, and Norwegian ships that cannot return to their Nazi-occupied land seek harbor in the boys' seaside town. Each member of the blended family confronts painful memories that surface in their fears and dreams. Karin and Erik remember bitter manipulative parents. Isak recalls his family's years in Berlin, when he suffered physical abuse, first from his authoritarian grandfather, and then from the new Nazi state; Ruben worries about his mad wife, now confined to an asylum. Roaming the coast in dissatisfied reveries, Simon imagines alternate origins for himself, even after his parents tell him the secret truth about his birth. Fredriksson depicts the psychological aftermath of cruelty through the ebb and flow of interior monologues, adhering to time-honored parallels between the characters' harsh longings and the stark beauty of the remote Swedish seascape. The second half of the lengthy tale follows the boys and their families to adulthood: Simon is involved in an army scandal, Karin falls ill and Isak becomes a father. Fredriksson's prose has, at its best, the clarity of a child's-eye view. At worst, it's distractingly awkward and overliteral: the lathe-worker who trains Isak "could feel a quiet happiness when he occasionally had a boy with intelligence in his hands as well as the passion for being exact." Already a bestseller in Germany, the novel contrasts the human capacity for suffering with a heartfelt optimism: these sentiments, along with the Swedish setting, enhance the story's appeal. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

This quietly moving story of family, friendship, and love, by the author of Hanna's Daughters , has already become an international best-seller and will no doubt capture the hearts of American readers as well. Simon Larsson is a pensive and thoughtful boy growing up in Sweden during World War II, fortunate to be safe within a remarkably loving and cohesive community. Half Jewish, he is being raised by his Scandinavian aunt and uncle, who adopted him as their own at birth. In a novel rich in mystical overtones, his adoptive parents take on truly archetypal dimensions. Karin's deep love and compassion is matched by Erik's understated strength and stoicism, and together they create a firm family base from which 11 year-old Simon can grow and dream. But Simon, who doesn't know the story of his birth and adoption, seems set apart from his Scandinavian world by his dark hair and olive complexion, and he often retreats into fantasies to alleviate his feelings of disconnection. When he befriends Isak Lentov, a young Jewish boy from Germany, their families become close in spite of the contrast between Isak's father's religious faith and the Larssons' strictly secular Swedish socialism. These two opposing viewpoints help form a unique framework for Simon and Isak as they come of age and work toward finding meaning in their lives, and as Fredriksson explores relations between fantasy, myth, and reality. Catherine Sias --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 347 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (April 4, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 034543630X
• ISBN-13: 978-0345436306
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #984,799 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marianne's books will touch your heart and soul., December 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Simon's Family (Hardcover)

I'm happy to see that Simon's Family now is translated into English. You will not regret that you read this book! It's as story about survival and transcendence, sacrifice and forgiveness. How to heal, find out who you are.... Marianne's books will touch your heart and soul. Enjoy :-)

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Magic, Myth, and Reality, August 21, 2000

By 

Kay Mitchell - See all my reviews

This review is from: Simon's Family: A Novel of Mothers and Sons (Paperback)

Simon's Family is a story from Sweden, full of magic, myth, and reality. The majestic landscape of towering forests, ancient oaks, and roaring sea sets the stage for a story of family that encompasses not only blood ties but those of race, nationality, and religion. The call of ancient religions weaves its tale throughout the story as the idea of archetypal myth influences present day lives through dream and imagination. The story begins in the 1920's and travels through the horrors of World War II and on into the post war world. The effects of the Holocaust are a theme that runs through the book along with the tolerance practiced by many Swedes. Politics is also a theme that is handled well and is not overbearing. The ideas of fairness and responsibility are influences on the characters's lives that give the book additional depth. The close and inevitable ties that exist between a mother and child are examined in depth with Karin, the loving and kind mother who overcomes her own sorrows to become a mother to several children who become her own. Several of the characters are scared by destructive relationships with parents, and they must overcome these memories in order to become whole in their adult lives. The special relationship that can exist between a mother and son is also well examined with love and perception, and we are left with an overall feeling of wholeness. All in all, this is a lovely book, one filled with myth and magic, but also a perception of the reality of life that is alive and glowing.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Swedish Family Saga from the 30's to the 50's, April 9, 2000

By 

"kumachan" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Simon's Family (Hardcover)

The edition (Australian bought- therfore British original)I have gives the title as "Simon and the Oaks",which places an emphasis on one of the mystical facets of this book. The edition I have is one of the sloppiest pieces of editing I have come across in book publishing. Leaving that to one side, the book gives the reader a peek into Swedish family life during the war when Sweden was supposedly neutral, although it let German trains roll through the country on their way to Norway.It also shows life in the post war world. The narrative is choppy, and there are some references to wartime events where the reactions of some of the characters is hard to understand. Perhaps something was lost in translation, but the significance of some of these external events to the narrative was hard to understand. Since the bulk of the novel is set in Gothenburg and parts of Southern Sweden, the book would be better with a map for readers not familiar with points in and around the greater Gothenburg area, and surrounding provinces between the city and Stockholm.

There was an interesting weaving of Old Norse mythology and Sumerian culture, with a dash of Central European Judaism thrown in.

Although the narrative is primarliy concerned with Simon, it is also concerned with his mother Karin, as they both play central roles throughout the novel.

I recommend the novel for the the way it deals with the theme of family dynamics, and also because it offers a glimpse into modern Swedish History.