The Sixteen Trees of the Somme by Lars Mytting

This novel had been recommended to me by several people as a fabulous read, and it did not disappoint. An interesting hybrid of historical fiction, contemporary fiction and family thriller; The Sixteen Trees of the Somme is compulsive reading.

Edvard Hirifjell grows up in rural Norway knowing that his parents died in mysterious circumstances in France when he was three years old, and that he himself disappeared for a few days at the same time. His great uncle Einar may know more details, but he is estranged from the family and never spoken of.

Edvard lives a contented and comfortable life with his grandfather Sverre on their isolated farm. Because his grandfather fought on the German side of the war in Russia; and his great uncle worked for the Resistance, a family feud as well suspicion from the locals who suffered under the Nazi’s haunts the Hirifjells. A beautifully crafted coffin made by Einar arrives for Sverre years before his death; leading Edvard to suspect Einar may still be alive somewhere and have the answers to his questions about the death of his parents.

A burning need to find answers to his family history and an unusual missing inheritance takes him to the Shetland Islands (once Norwegian territory) and his great uncle’s last known residence. In the Shetlands Edvard meets the mysterious Gwen, and together they piece together the past; each not trusting the other with the whole truths of their respective family histories. Their journey takes them to the WW1 battle grounds of the Western Front, and they begin to understand the significance and story of a small woodland in Somme. The tension builds and the whole story is beautifully interwoven.

The Sixteen Trees of the Somme is translated from the Norwegian. Lars Mytting has written the unlikely yet internationally successful non-fiction book Norwegian Wood, about the Norwegian art of wood stacking, (wood also plays a major part in the Sixteen Trees of the Somme as you may gather from the title).

This cleverly plotted and beautifully crafted novel is highly recommended.

Reviewed by Katrina

Catalogue link:  The Sixteen Trees of the Somme