Skip's Reviews > We, the Drowned

Like other, it is hard to explain exactly why I liked this book so much. It is an adventure story, about an actual small town in Denmark called Marstal (on the island Ärö.) It is a seafaring town, where fathers are sailors or fisherman: in both cases, with short lifespans, leaving a town mostly full of women and children. Covering almost a century of history (1848-1945), the novel starts with a battle between the invincible Danish navy and a German invasion and continues through the conclusion of WWII. It also follows the evolution from sails to steam, and the abject terror of U-boats and travelling near the Arctic Circle. Memorable characters (both young and old) and well written/translated from Danish. Much of the book follows the life at sea and in ports of Albert Madsen and his adoptive son, Knud Erik Friis. A bit like Odysseus, except some of the crew manage to survive (sorry, small spoiler.) Long, but well worth the effort. Highly recommended.