Honestly, I wasn't even going to bother to review this one because, well, I'm still not entirely sure what I thought of it. It is a very quirky (at least by American standards) book, which is a good thing. I mean, it is definitely unlike other books out there.I will say, first off, that the "official" summary is misleading. Based on that, I was going in to this book thinking I would be reading about people far older than the characters actually were. Perhaps it is just me, but I do not consider early- to mid-thirties to be middle aged.Okay, that being said, I will say that there are a lot of positive things about this book. It is a lighter read, if that is something you are looking for. It is also quite well-written and/or translated from Swedish. There are a lot of little phrases that are interesting--they are probably quite common in Sweden, but were unfamiliar to me. However, I thought that just added to the feel of the book.Benny and Desiree/Shrimp are both very realistic characters--which means that they aren't always likable and, frankly, there were several times when I wanted to knock some sense into one or both of them. I don't feel I can really fault Mazetti for that--after all, that is what a good writer strives to do.Yes, the book was incredibly quirky--in fact, it might be too quirky for some readers. Ultimately, though, I enjoyed the experience of reading this book, even if it left me scratching my head sometimes. This book was wonderful, just lovely. Quirky and offbeat, it is a simple love story. A young widowed librarian and a bachelor farmer keep running into each other at the cemetery. At first they are annoyed by one another and then one day, boom, everything changes. They quickly fall in love and it is more than either of them had every dreamed. But they are doomed from the start. Both are set in their ways and though they love one another, neither can imagine changing the individual lives that they have built to fit the life of the other. The thing I loved about this book was the emotional honesty of it. The author tells the story from both characters point of view by switching POV back and forth with each chapter. The reader can truly feel and identify with the emotions of each. My heart raced and then ached for Benny and Shrimp. The end was a little disappointing, yet left the story open to continue. From the discussion at the end it appears that the author has written a sequel which I will be anxious to read. This book is simple and honest and just what I needed after the heaviness of the book I was reading previously.
What do You think about Benny And Shrimp (1998)?
Nágunginn í næstu gröf. Ný sýn á lífið, indæl og grátbrosleg.
—Jess
De l'humour mais je ne suis pas fan des histoires d'amour.
—sam
