In 1916 aged 32, Sven Ormston a victim of a mining accident in Svarlbard that disfigures him, heads further north to Raudfjorden in the even farther north. He is a loner and a trapper and this is his ‘memoir’. He’s born in Stockholm (obviously!!), his father is a tanner but Sven is always restless, he is obsessed with the polar north and when his unenthusiastic attempts at working yields nothing but dismissals he decides to test his will against the cold. He recounts his experiences, the sometime companionship of Tapio, a Finn who teaches him to trap and the marvellously eccentric Scottish geologist Charles MacIntyre who certainly livens things up. He tells the story with humour, resolve and fortitude and there are plenty of surprises in store!

First of all, this is so well written in the style of the times with some beautiful descriptions especially of the far north so you can imagine yourself there with all its harshness, the glaciers wildlife and the Northern Lights and so on. The writing is lively and despite describing himself as ‘Sullen Sven’ and yes there are times when he is downright miserable, he remains an interesting narrator throughout. I love some of the phrases the author uses and the frequent use of humour to break up the grind of the life. It’s full of adventure, there is plenty of atmosphere, there are some fantastic larger-than-life colourful misfits in particular eccentric Charles and it demonstrates that you can find the most surprising things in remote out of the way places. It’s a harsh tale a lot of the time but it also succeeds in being touching and heartwarming which takes skill as a writer. The historical context is excellent with key events such as both world wars and the Russian Revolution impacting in various ways on Sven’s life.

Overall it’s a very different book which I like and if you are seeking something out of the ordinary and this may fit the bill.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to John Murray Press for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.