After his wife divorces him, the status quo of visiting his mother (who has dementia), managing a company he cares little about and coming to terms with the insignificance of his life, results in Jonas' decision to commit suicide. Still, as an honest and thoughtful man, he soon realises that to do so at home would mean his daughter finding him and dealing with the consequences, which he is at pains to not burden her with.

Instead, Jonas decides a more feasible plan is to travel to the most dangerous country in the world and do it there instead. And with only the clothes on his back and a small tool box of essential tools (to attach a hook that he intends to hang a noose from) he finds himself boarding in the 'Hotel Silence'. an establishment run by a young brother and sister and struggling to resurrect itself after a recent civil war decimated the city's buildings, population and economy.

This is a quick, heartwarming story which examines purpose, fate, suffering, war and perspective. Jonas is an unassuming, likeable character and his struggle is written tenderly and not without humour and hope. A nice little read from Iceland, 3.5 ( )

C’è qualcosa, penso, che ancora mi potrebbe stupire nella vita? La malvagità umana? No, la mia conoscenza della cattiveria degli uomini è perfetta. La bontà umana? Nemmeno, ho incontrato troppe brave persone, per aver fiducia negli uomini. Che altro? L’incommensurabile bellezza delle cime, i multipli strati del paesaggio, montagne dietro altre montagne, sfumature di blu dietro altre sfumature di blu? Le spiagge, nere e senza fine, sorvegliate a est dallo scintillio del ghiacciaio, con il suo profilo di sogno millenario, che si muove lento come sotto una lastra di plexiglas? Io conosco tutto questo. C’è qualcos’altro che voglio provare? Non mi viene in mente niente.
(47)

Ci si rassegnerà mai al fatto di essere nati? – aveva chiesto Svanur
(138) ( )

Not for me.., ( )

* I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review a pre-publication copy of this book *

Hotel Silence is a derelict hotel in a bombed-out city that is just emerging from the shadows of war. The population is cowed, there are shortages and the whole area is mined.

Jonas is an Icelander who has had enough of his life. He chooses the Hotel Silence as a place that he can go to where nobody knows him, taking only the tools he needs to end it all. Once he gets there, what he sees starts to give him new perspective, reinforced by memories of home. As the locals start to depend on Jonas, his plans change drastically.

This is a subtle novel about how exposure to the misfortunes of others can allow us to see our own troubles more clearly. It has charm and deals with serious matters with quite a light touch. In fact I wished for a bit more grit and less lightness, given the circumstances being portrayed. ( )

Un uomo in crisi che decide di porre fine ai suoi giorni e per farlo decide di andare lontano, in una città appena uscita dalla guerra. L’incontro con le persone del luogo lo spingerà a ritardare il suo gesto …
Un libro che mi ha lasciata insoddisfatta, una storia che avrebbe potuto essere molto appassionante ma che, a mio avviso, pecca di eccessiva lunghezza in alcune parti mentre sorvola su altre che avrebbero dovuto essere, invece, approfondite. Una bella trama, piena di potenzialità che invece, alla fine, risultano purtroppo in gran parte abortite; un finale monco che lascia solo un senso di incompiutezza.
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