WHEN THE SNOW FELL

Joel (A Bridge to the Stars, 2007, and Shadows in the Twilight, 2008) is now almost 14 and feeling all the bewildering emotions that growing up entails. He leads a rich inner life, filled with wild dreams and endless imagination. Along with his yet-unachieved goal of getting his father to return to a seafaring life, he resolves to live to be 100, to see a naked woman, to become a rock star and to see the sea. He sets about reaching these goals in his own inimitable way. Although part of him wants to hold on to pieces of childhood, he finds maturity and gains insights as he plunges from one misadventure to the next. Mankell employs a third-person stream of consciousness, allowing Joel’s thoughts to roam unchecked and uncensored. There is a natural flow in the syntax, translated by Thompson from the Swedish, and the author treats Joel with empathy and kindness. This third entry in the series is more successful than the second; readers will reconnect with Joel’s essence and wonder what the next year will bring. (Fiction. 12-16)