Swedish writer Kerstin Ekman is something like the grande dame of Swedish literature. She’s considered one of the most important, if not the most important living Swedish writer. She has written numerous novels, many of which received prizes and were made into movies. She’s also been extensively translated. Ekman began her career as a crime author but subsequently moved away from the genre. The novella The Dog – Hunden was published in 1986. I read the German translation, Hundeherz (by far the most poetic title) as I always feel it’s closer to the Scandinavian languages than English.
Before I start the review, I have to spoil the book. The blurb does so too and with good reason. The beginning of the book is quite sad, and, for most animal lovers, it would be too heart-breaking to read on not knowing whether there would be a happy ending. Luckily, there is. So, now you know it – Sad beginning, happy ending.
The Dog is set in the countryside of Northern Sweden. It’s winter and a man drives to a lake to go fishing. He has no intention to take his dog, but she sees him and runs after his scooter. Her little puppy follows her. In the snow and the cold, the puppy gets lost. Upon his return home, the man notices the dog’s absence and searches for him. To no avail. What follows is a dramatic tale of survival during a harsh winter, in a wild landscape. The puppy almost freezes and starves. At first, he just crouches under the low branches of fir trees, shivering, his heart beating wildly. Then he finds a dead elk and the meat of the massive animal helps him over many weeks.
During the long winter months, he learns to recognize the noises and traits of the landscape. Eventually, he explores farther and farther away from his hiding place. He learns to hunt and to avoid being hunted.
The story is told from the point of view of the dog, but Ekman doesn’t try to humanize the dog. She tells the story in a way that makes it very plausible, just describing what the puppy can see, smell, taste, hear. The result is brilliant. In lesser hands this might have become mawkish, but it isn’t. She is an astounding writer, with a huge vocabulary and intimate knowledge of the Swedish landscape, the flora, the fauna. The animals and plants are all named. It’s never just “a tree” or “a bird” or “a plant”. She’ll let you know exactly what it is. All the many wild birds and animals are differentiated through the noises their wings or paws make. The wind sounds different, depending on which grasses and plants it rustles. And the many scents are described in so much detail too. It’s true that every plant smells different when it is crushed.
The story isn’t sentimental and therefore, at times, a bit hard to read. After all, it’s a tale of survival and that includes hunting. The dog must hunt to survive. And there’s also an elk hunt later in the novella that leads him back to the man who lost him.
This is a tale about survival, about enduring cold, hunger, and loneliness. But ultimately it’s also a tale about the strong bond between man and dog.
I did expect this to be good, but I didn’t expect the writing to be this extraordinary. I’m already looking forward to reading more of her work.
Beauty is a Sleeping Cat 
I’ve read one of her crime novels but this sounds so completely different. Thank you for the warning about the beginning – I’m always a bit nervous of any books with animals in, they never seem to make it…
I’m the same. I find it very upsetting.
The German copy’s cover is gorgeous. I love when the animals are not anthropomorphised too. All the details about the wild would make it a difficult read for me, but this books sounds beautiful, and I don’t want to miss it. Thank you for the lovely recommendation again, Caroline.
My pleasure, Deepika. I like the German cover best as well. They have changed it meanwhile though but this is the one I got. It’s very deathlike and many of the plants I had never heard of but I liked that. I have never been to Sweden but would like to go.
Beautiful review, Caroline! This looks like a wonderful book! I want to read, I want to read! 😁 I loved this line from your review – “The wind sounds different, depending on which grasses and plants it rustles.” I can almost hear the wind, while reading this. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Thank you, Vishy. It’s beautifully written. Really like we imagine an animal would experience the world, purely through the senses. There are emotions too, of course, fear and loneliness. All the details are amazing. I wonder if I would have struggled in English as I’m not that familiar with so many plants and birds.
So wonderful to know that, Caroline! Makes me think of Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones. Only Kerstin Ekman’s book sounds better. Looking forward to reading it soon.
I haven’t read that. I hope you’ll enjoy it. I think she’s a terrific writer.
I somehow thought you had read that 🙂 I think you read Diana Wynne Jones’ ‘Fire and Hemlock’. I am just checking whether ‘The Dog’ is available on the Kindle 🙂
Yes, that’s the one I read and liked very much. I seem to remember you mentioning Dogsbody before. Maybe I even got it. I know I have another of her books. I hope you can find The Dog. 🙂
I want to read Fire and Hemlock 🙂 I’m looking forward to reading The Fog now. Found it in the Kindle store 🙂
Happy Reading 🙂
Thank you, Caroline 🙂
I’m a little bit ashamed to say that I’ve never heard of this author before, especially as she to be so highly regarded and prolific. Versatile too, it seems. This sounds likes a very humane story, a tale of tenacity and endurance. Lovely review.
Thank you, Jacqui.
I don’t think it’s that surprising you hadn’t heard of her before. These aren’t new book, so, possibly, in the 80s and 90s she was much better kniwn. I only discovered her recently. Her name was on a top ten crime authors from different countries list or something like that. I was the more drawn to this to start with. The writing is so mazing. I think you’d like this.
I’m glad to have your warning. I don’t think I could approach a book like this without the reassurance of a Happy Ending…
Same here. And it’s still quite upsetting in the beginning because she writes so well.
Thanks for the warning, Caroline. Not sure if I’ll read this but I appreciate the reminder about this author. I have her novel Blackwater on my TBR pile and am glad to hear she’s such a good writer.
The writing is amazing but it wasn’t that easy. I often shy away from watching nature documentaries because of the hunting scenes. It’s natural that lions kill antelopes, it still upsets me.
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