FROM THE MOUTH OF THE WHALE by Sjon

If you're the kind of person that enjoys sitting with elderly folk and listening to the tales they have to tell from their former years, then this book is most definitely for you.

It is quite difficult to write about this book because there is no real plot to follow and the narrative extremely fragmented. However I think ths works well in the context of the story. If Sjon had followed a linear plot, I feel that the book would indeed have been much more boring than it otherwise was.

Poet and self-taught healer; Jonas Palmason has been exiled for some hereticle crime which is unknown until the end of the book. Jonas begins his tale talking to a Sandpiper who has joined him on his island, and throughout the year and a half that we accompany Jonas on his island he tells us stories from his past; how he met his wife, childhood ceremonies he was made to attend, escapades in trying to flee his exile, and in many ways I felt more like I was at the feet of my Grandfather, listening to his own tales and stories rather than sat reading a book. As his tale unfolds you begin to develop a respect for Jonas that you would normally find yourself feeling towards an elder or a Father.

This is very different to the contrasting hatred that I felt toward Ari Magnusson, who I felt abused his power and I felt it should have been him that was exiled on the island. When you juxtapose Ari with Jonas, it becomes very clear that they are two very different people. They both have power, Ari has the power through law and authority, whereas Jonas has the power of knowledge and speech. The thing that seperates these two men apart, is Jonas is very humble in his acknowledgment of his power where as Ari is very selfish and self centered.

The thing that mosts excites me about this book is the extravagant description that Sjon uses throughout the novel. I find it inspiring and I feel that it is this description that draws you through the book. My favorit example of this is actually in the prelude describing boar:

"But this huge-tusked boar was without doubt the most savage brute the north had ever snorted out of its icy nostril."

The other thing that I believe contibutes greatly to the success of this story is the use of Icelandic beliefe that has become a motif, popping up throughout the story. As it recurrs so frequently and the narrator keeps coming back to it time and time again, it gives the reason to hope and keep them willing that Jonas will survive his ordeal of exile. This is what makes it so heart wrenchingly terribly when Sigga (his wife) passes away. As a reader, you begin to almost pray that his God will protect him, hoping desperately that they will both survive, so when this doesn't happen and she dies, you feel let down and upset because Jonas has been let down by the one thing that all his hope and security has been held in all this time.

The only thing I must say that I didn't particulaly like was the fact that there are not chapter as such, just the whole book split into five seperate parts. I prefer reading with chapters as I dislike stopping half way through a chapter, however I think in this instance, it did not detract too much from this fabulose book.

I have very much enjoyed reading this book and would deffinately recommend this to anyone who has an interest in historical fiction and/or, as I said, just sitting and listening to tales of the past from our elders.

NB: Please excuse the missing accents above the letters in the Icelandic and Nordic names, I have yet to find out how to do this on blogger and will change it as soon as I know how to. Please comment if you know how to do this.