Would you murder your brothers to keep them from telling the truth about themselves?On a long, cold Icelandic night in March 1920, Gunnar, a hermit blacksmith, finds himself with an unwanted lodger – Sigurd, an injured stranger who offers a story from the past. But some stories, even those of an old man who can barely walk, are too dangerous to hear. They alter the listeners’ lives forever… by … the listeners’ lives forever… by ending them.
Others are keen on changing Gunnar’s life as well. Depending on who gets to tell his story, it might lead towards an unwanted marriage, an intervention, rejoining the Church, letting the elf drive him insane, or succumbing to the demons in his mind. Will he manage to write his own last chapter?
Bjørn Larssen’s award-winning novel is an otherworldly, emotive Icelandic saga – a story of love and loneliness, relief and suffering, hatred… and hope.
“Addictive to the extreme. I cannot praise this book enough.” – Mary Anne Yarde, Coffee Pot Book Club
”…the ‘then’ is just as captivating as the ‘now’ story. We know that the ‘then’ story is setting out little clues, but it’s hard to know what they are.” – #DDRevs Historical Fiction Reviews
Discovering Diamonds’ Discovered Diamond Winner, shortlisted for Book of the Month
Coffee Pot Book Club Award Winner
Coffee Pot Book Club Historical Fiction (Modern) Book of the Year – Honourable Mention
Readers’ Choice Best Cover Award Winner
Readers’ Favourite Five-Stars Pick
Note: British English conventions, spelling, and grammar were used in this book.
The author is an ex-blacksmith, lover of all things Icelandic, physically located in Amsterdam, spiritually living in a log cabin near Akureyri. He has published stories and essays in Polish and American magazines, both online and in print. This is his first novel.
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Everything about Storytellers is unique. The book is told as a story within a story, moving back and forth between past and present, interweaving character’s lives to reveal the truth in the end. Bjørn Larssen skillfully and subtly leaves puzzle pieces of truth throughout the story, creating twists and turns that kept the pages turning for me. This is a bit of a slow burn, but the payoff is so worth it.
Storytellers, as I said, is unique in many ways. The characters aren’t particularly likeable, with so many secrets and frustrating behaviors. Gunnar is set on an interesting journey of character development. He starts off lonely, miserable to wanting to be the hero. Not many novels can pull off such an unlikable MC in the beginning. I love it about this one.
The setting of Iceland in the late 19th/early 20th century is absolutely beautiful. Bjørn Larssen’s descriptions of both the geographical setting and the time period are absolutely breathtaking. It created such immersiveness for this story and created a new fan of this author.
I highly recommend checking Storytellers out. It’s one of those novels you think you know the story, but your mind will be blown in the end.
*I voluntarily read and reviewed this book as part of a blog tour with Rachel’s Random Resources. All opinions are my own.*
What an amazing book! I had the great privilege of reading this early, and let me tell you, I am honored I did.
Hermit blacksmith Gunnar just wants to be left the hell alone with his animals and his “medication” (re: booze) so he can while away his days at his smithy and pass his nights dead asleep. He’s not good with people and resents any time he has to spend with anyone (including the doctor who “prescribes” his “medicine”). Unfortunately for Gunnar, fate has other plans.
Sigurd seemingly appears out of nowhere with a broken ankle, and unfortunately for Gunnar, it’s on his doorstep. Gunnar would rather the man hobble away to die somewhere in a field, but he reluctantly does the right thing and takes the stranger in.
While recuperating, Sigurd begins to spin a fantastical tale about the residents of a sleepy town who’s lives are upended by the arrival of an old resident, a new bride, a new pastor and a suspected “witch.” Throw in the building of a new church and love triangle, and even loner Gunnar finds himself transfixed–by both the stranger and the story.
This is a slow burn book, and one that must be read curled up in a favorite chair, bundled under a well-worn blanket, and sipping a comforting cup of hot tea. The tale(s) take time to tell (as this book is a story within a story), and patience is a must. But the rewards are immeasurable. The ending does speed up and the twists are shocking (I pride myself on figuring out mysteries and plots as I go, and I have to say, I was not only on the edge of my seat, I never saw the ending coming).
Larssen is a new voice to be reckoned with (although if you follow his blog, https://www.bjornlarssen.com/ you’ll know he’s been writing great essays for years). His prose paints a detailed picture. You can clearly see the people he speaks of, feel the bitter cold in the air, mourn the losses as your own. Being a modern female in America, I shouldn’t know what it’s like to be a desperate, poor, cold Icelander in the winter of 1920 (and earlier). But I do, thanks to this writer’s ability to weave a rich tapestry of plots, characters and ideas together. I look forward to other great works this author has to tell.
Storytellers will keep you hooked from the first page. I could not put the book down, and spent a whole day and night reading it. Twists and turns keep you entertained and wanting to find out more until the ending which will blow your mind. If you are looking for a unique book, look no further.
An absorbing read with a deeply troubled and flawed main character who really wins the reader over as the story, and the story within the story, unfold.
Set in 1920, the brutal Icelandic landscape reflects the struggles of the inhabitants of the small, isolated village.
The well-written narrative draws the reader in and the ending is both unexpected and satisfying. Recommended!
I loved this book – it was a delight to read, an unusual debut novel by a writer with much talent.
The story tells of village blacksmith Gunnar, who is (at first glance) quite happy living in his shack with his dog, Ragnar, and his ‘medicine’ (alcohol). One night, he takes in a climber with a broken ankle, Sigurd; with reluctance, Gunnar agrees to take care of him until he can walk again. From the outset, it is clear that there is much mystery surrounding the stranger.
Meanwhile, Gunnar’s life is picked apart by his doctor, the overbearing Brynhildur who wants to marry him, and the Conservative Women of Iceland who demand that he mend his heathen ways. I loved these women – the Conservative Women number just two; they and Brynhildur were a joy to read. The gossip and atmosphere of small village life reminded me of a Jane Austen novel, amusingly executed as it is.
This is actually a story within a story – the Icelandic winters are long and dark, and storytelling is a much loved pastime. Threaded through Gunnar’s own tale is another, told to him in instalments by Sigurd, about love, death and a feud between brothers. Both stories are so compelling.
As we learn more about Gunnar, we discover the demons that lurk within, that he tries to banish with the moonshine that he makes in his shack.
The atmosphere of the place and time is perfectly drawn, the characterisation is excellent, the dialogue authentic and amusing. The ending is surprising, as the link between the stories is uncovered. In these days when so many novels are jam-packed with events from start to finish, I enjoyed the slower pace of Storytellers; it has such charm that I still found it to be a ‘page-turner’, was reluctant to leave it when I had to, and sad to finish it.
The copy I read contained a few instances of American English, but I believe these are being remedied; English is not the author’s first language, but his command of it and understanding of its subtleties is, on the whole, outstanding, and I will certainly not penalise him for something that should have been picked up by an editor/proofreader.
This a work of literary art that I recommend most highly; Bjørn Larssen is, indeed, an Icelandic storyteller.