Once, to Anna’s excitement, she spotted an elk trotting along not far from the track. ‘There’s plenty of them around,’ Molly said, being well used to sightings. ‘But, as you will know, there are no reindeer this far south.’ Her eyes twinkled. ‘Do you remember how during the war some of the Norwegians used to tell tall tales about polar bears roaming the streets of Oslo and gullible people believed them?’ ‘I’m afraid they did,’ Anna said in amusement. ‘But it’s not surprising that people swallowed their tales,’ Molly continued, ‘because it was only rich people that came to Norway before the war or went anywhere else abroad on holiday. I remember at school how envious I was of girls whose parents could afford for them to go on trips to France. The rich visitors here came for the salmon fishing in summer and deer hunting in the autumn. Olav says he can remember them arriving in their tweeds with their loud posh voices, and pony-carts or open cars were always lined up to take them to their destinations or on sightseeing trips.’ ‘So much has happened since then.
What do You think about The House By The Fjord (2011)?
