Rate this book

Jeg Nekter (2012)

by Per Petterson(Favorite Author)

3.83 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

8249510569 (ISBN13: 9788249510566)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Forlaget Oktober

review 1: This moving and atmospheric novel focusses on the friendship between Tommy and Jim. The novel opens with the two friends meeting again after their paths through life have diverged. It’s obvious that Jim is in a fragile mental state, whereas Tommy seems more successful. But both are haunted by early childhood traumas, when each had to face parental absence, and in Tommy’s case, violence. The book moves between past and present, and between the various characters to give an in depth study of family and friendship, and how the past continues to impact on the present. It’s a raw and often painful story, but I didn’t find it totally absorbing. I appreciate how well Pettersen writes, his prose is clear and often lyrical, and his characters moving in their vulnerability. ... moreBut I never fully engage with the worlds he describes, something about his writing shuts me out. Nevertheless, this is a gentle and heartrending story and a welcome addition to his oeuvre.
review 2: The framework for I Refuse is a chance meeting of two boyhood friends who haven't seen each other for 30 years. Their individual stories of this day are interspersed with a series of vignettes from their shared past, told primarily in Jim's or Tommy's voice, but also in the third person or other characters' voices. The book explores the choices that the characters make - what they accept and what they refuse. It deals with difficult family and personal issues sensitively. The tone is contemplative and many parts are beautifully written. I see the value of telling the story from more than one viewpoint and the shifting time frame, but I think this approach distanced me. Regardless, the feeling of the book sticks with me. less

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