Mountain Pasture life anno 2004

“Dagen” 02.20.03.

Gunlaug Nøkland makes her debut as an author. She has written a story of mountain pasture life seems to be like in 2004. We tend to think of mountain pasture life as part of times past, however, there are many of this type farm in some form or other operating in our extensive land following the new millennium. On Nøkland`s particular mountain pasture there are cows, goats and  other animals. In addition they host tourists and demonstrate to them old traditional methods of producing wool, milk and other farm products. The distance to the village from the mountain pasture  is not long and is accessible to cars, with or without campers. There is something fascinating about  this type of modern mountain pasture life including a melding of old and new. The mountain pasture top has a modern public address system suitable for mission rallies as well as cellular phones to aide in locating errant heifers.

I like the book. The storyline is good and moves along well. There are doses of cheerfulness, suspense, Christianity and love. The main character, Mette, is employed by a Christianity organisation in the capital city. She has accepted a three month summer job on the mountain pasture to take a respite from office work as well as experience nature and open air living. She is not entirely inexperienced in the ways of farming, but not unremarkable enough to prevent local gossip about the young attractive city girl employed by the young bachelor farmer. Nøkland effectively keeps up the suspense by having implied thoughts between them with no resolution before  the final page. Thusly , is the reader brought forward in this easy and well written book. I had some difficulty in putting the book down. The  book addresses various actual themes in church life and

community. The leading characters are reflexive and feeling without appearing to be stereotyped. They discuss and pose deep philosophical questions of human, biblical and spiritual meaning without making them seem collectively unnatural. I felt that both Mette and farmer Morten were living beings. Gunlaug Nokland has delivered a debut that is worthy of respect.

Baard Hauge

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