"There's beauty to be found outdoors, but it's not without its
horrors. The conflicted role of humans in nature is a familiar theme,
but few narratives hum with the surreal power of this one." -- Kirkus
Reviews
An intensely graceful novel recounting scenes of the Norwegian
countryside from one of Norway's most beloved 20th-century writers
Tarjei Vesaas's final work, The Hills Reply, is a flow of intensely
lyrical autobiographical scenes. The vivid beauty of the wilds of Norway
grounds the narrator's interior flashes.
The first sketch finds a boy, his father, and their packhorse clearing a
logging road buried in snow as their surroundings give way to a crisis.
Profound insights into human behavior, solitude, and nonverbal
communication stand up to the power and immensity of the natural world.
The land speaks to (and at times almost swallows) the central character,
as he is pushed to the edge of what a body and mind can endure.
The hypnotic pulse of Vesaas's prose blurs the line between memory and
hallucination, as it stares bravely into the unblinking eye of Nature.
An unforgettable book, The Hills Reply is a visceral salute to the
human spirit, to the ecstasy of wilderness, and to their tender
overlapping.
