When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén

 

Lisa Ridzén was born and raised in a small village in remote, rural northern Sweden. She now lives just outside of Östersund (not far from her childhood home), and is currently a doctoral student in sociology, researching masculinity norms in the rural communities of northern Sweden, which makes a lot of sense having read the book.

Ridzén wrote When the Cranes Fly South whilst on a writing course, and was inspired by the care log of her recently deceased grandfather. The novel follows Bo, in the last few months of his life. Once strong and independent, a worker in the local timber mill, Bo now requires carers three times a day, and is being pressured to give up his dog, as he struggles to give it the care it needs.

When the Cranes is written in the first person, from Bo's point of view, interspersed with regular entries from his care log, which overlap with the personal recollections but give a different, less closely involved view. 

As the days wear on, Bo becomes weaker. He hardly leaves his house, but instead reminisces about his past life - what he is glad he did, and what he thinks now he could have done differently. A lot of Bo's ponderings are about the various relationships he has had, with his father, his son, his wife, and his best friend. It is here Ridzén's academic studies make sense, the male-to-male relationships are particularly well rendered, with deep-seated issues around masculinity, but no judgment. His relationship with his father was particularly difficult, and some aspects of this Bo was aware of when bringing up his own son, purposely doing things differently. But other patterns of behaviour only become apparent with this deeper introspection, and he realises he made some of the same mistakes himself.

Throughout the novel, Bo fights to keep his dog, Sixten, though his son is insistent he can longer properly look after the animal. As Bo loses autonomy in so much of his life, not even able to control his bladder effectively anymore, Sixten is the only one who looks up to him and relies on him, and Bo can not bring himself to admit that even this responsibility is now too much for him to cope with.

When the Cranes Fly South is a simple novel, there is nothing here in the way of allegory or innovative literary construction. But its simplicity is its strength, as much of what Bo was is stripped away he sees things increasingly as they are, and must confront emotions and personal failings, which up until now have been pushed aside by the act of living. Whilst not exactly a jolly read, the novel is beautifully written, and there is a comfort in how Bo comes to terms with his impending death.

★★★★☆