The Birds by Norwegian poet and novelist Tarjei Vesaas was originally published in 1957, but due to it’s timeless subject matter, could easily have been written much more recently. Mattis, a mentally disabled man lives with his lonely sister, Hege, in a cottage on a lake. Mattis is often mocked and called “Simple Simon” but with his sister to look after him and his ability to ponder and observe nature he is generally happy. His one fear is that Hege will get fed up and leave him.

He is encouraged to act as a ferryman on the lake although he only ever has one customer, Jorgen, a lumberjack, that he brings home and who stays with them. Hege and Jorgen become lovers which disturbs Mattis and scares him as he feels his sister’s attention lessening and he comes up with an unusual plan to help make sense of the situation.

I loved this beautifully written, sensitive story. It is a moving portrait that has a soft sadness running through every page. There were parts where the story seemed in a lull but being given Mattis’ point of view, seeing how he processes life events and catching a glimpse of his inner world was unique and compelling. There was a feeling of inevitability as Mattis travels his own path, a simple soul in a complicated world. ( )

Mattis lives in a remote cabin in Norway with his sister Hege. His developmental disabilities make it difficult for him to find work, and he spends most of his time in communion with nature. Hege supports them by knitting sweaters. While she cares deeply for Mattis and accepts the responsibility of looking after him, she can’t help resenting the impact on her lifestyle and personal freedom. Mattis picks up on some of this and fears Hege will leave him, but is unable to express this. Instead he obsesses on things he observes in the world around him, in the local village and in nature.

Eventually Mattis gets the idea that he could provide a service to his community by ferrying people across the lake. Despite there being no clear demand for this service Mattis is happy to spend the day rowing back and forth, and he takes pride in identifying as a ferryman. Hege is full of encouragement, welcoming this new-found time to herself. Mattis’ first customer is a lumberjack named Jorgen, whom he enthusiastically invites home for a meal. But Jorgen decides to stick around, and that was not in Mattis’ plan. Mattis is unable to make sense of this new order and, experiencing the story through his eyes, the reader must fill in the blanks. The direction of the story soon becomes apparent, and could have gone a few different ways. The ending was unexpected and left me pondering the lives of these characters beyond the final pages. ( )

Casts a spell. ( )

Hege en Mattis, zus en broer, hebben hun ouders verloren. Arm wonen ze in een klein huisje. Mattis is verstandelijk beperkt en zijn zus is nodig om op hem te passen en te zorgen. De 'Slome' heeft 2 linker handen, maar roeien op het meer kan hij uitstekend. Hij wil met zijn versleten roeiboot de veerdienst uitmaken. maar er zijn geen klanten. Op een dag is er wel een man die hij naar de overkant brengt , naar de 'bewoonde' wereld, naar het dorpje waar hij woont. Deze houthakker krijgt onderdak bij broer en zus. Zus en houthakker krijgen een relatie en Mattis voelt zich uitgesloten. Hij denkt dat hij zal verstoten worden door zijn zus, die hij zo erg nodig heeft, niet alleen voor zijn verzorging, maar zeker voor zijn mentale steun en toeverlaat. Ook heeft hij een enorme mentale band met de vogels, die hem veel voorspellen. Alleen zijn zus begrijpt hem in alles..... Maar de broer ziet het niet zo. Hij roeit op het meer en laat zijn bootje zinken en hij verdrinkt.... De schrijfstijl is heel sereen, gevoelig en eenvoudig. Vesaas brengt prachtig én correct de mentale toestand over en beschrijft zo ook de gedachten-monologen van Mattis. Realistische inleving van de auteur! ( )

"Now it is Night.
"What can you do when everyone around you is strong and clever?
"Will never know."

Mentally deficient Mattis lives in a cottage by a lake with his sister Hege who supports them by knitting. She occasionally sends Mattis out in search of work as a farm hand, which he dreads because he knows he is different, and will not perform up to par, no matter how hard he tries. He frequently feels people are laughing at him.

One day Hege suggests, and Mattis agrees, that he work as a ferryman on the lake. He begins to spend his days at "work" in his rowboat on the lake, although there are never any passengers. Until one day there is. Mattis ferries Jorgen, a lumberjack, across the lake, and Jorgen becomes a boarder with Hege and Mattis. Soon Mattis begins to fear he will lose Hege to Jorgen.

This entire beautiful novel is narrated from the pov of Mattis, and Vesaas does a masterful job of channeling the mind of someone who sees the world in an entirely different way than most people. We see all Mattis's thoughts, experience nature through him, as well as sensing scorn from other people. I loved this book. Recommended for all.

4 1/2 stars ( )