Flere smakebiter

Mens jeg leste Det usynlige fjellet av Carolina de Robertis blogget jeg smakebiter underveis. Håper det inspirerte noen til å lese boken. I dag vil jeg dele leseopplevelser fra Crow lake av Mary Lawson. Forfatteren av Den andre siden av broen som jeg også har en bloggpost om.

Synsvinkelen veklser mellom en sjuårings forståelse og følelser, og den voksne Kates tilbakeblikk. Mesterlig skildret. Gripende lesing. På grunnlag av de 66 sidene jeg har lest så langt, våger jeg å anbefale boken på det varmeste. Den er også oversatt til norsk med tittelen Ved bredden av Crow lake.

Other things seemed to happen over and over but I’m not sure, looking back, if that was only in my mind. I can still see Luke standing in the front door, holding Bo in one arm and with his free hand accepting a large covered dish from someone. I know that happened, but in my memory he spent practically the whole of the first few days in that pose. Though that could have been true – every wife, every mother, every maiden aunt in the community must have set her lips and started cooking as soon as she heard the news. Potato salad figured largely. And cooked hams. Also nourishing stews, though it was far too hot to eat them. Every time you went out the front door you tripped over a quart basket of peas or a vat of stewed rhubarb.

And Luke holding Bo. Did he really carry her for every waking moment of those first days? Because that’s how I remember it. …

And myself clinging to Matt. I held on to his hand or his sleeve or the pocket of his jeans, anything that I could get hold of. I was seven, I should have been beyond such behavior, but I couldn’t help myself. I remember him gently disengaging my fingers when he needed to go to the toilet, saying, “Just wait, Katie. Just give me a minute.” And myself standing at the closed bathroom door, asking, “Have you finished yet?” with a shaking voice. (Side 27-28)

I tried do still the whirlwind inside me, but when I succeeded, when I by force of will I managed to calm it so that individual thoughts themselves overwhelmed me. Being without Matt. Being without Luke. Leaving our home. Going to live with strangers. Aunt Annie had told me about them; she had said there were four children, three boys and one girl. They were all older than Bo and me, but she said they were nice. But she wouldn’t really know if they were nice, you would only know that if you were a child yourself. Matt had said that I must look after Bo, but he must know that I could’nt. I was too afraid. I was much more afraid than Bo was. (Side 66)