THE INSECT SUMMER, or, INSEKTSOMMER, by KNUT FALDBAKKEN
A 15 year old boy named Peter lives in a city of Norway. Every summer he goes to the countryside to spend time with his Aunt Linn and Uncle Kristen on their farm, during which time he celebrates his birthday. Kristen is Peter's biological uncle. A girl named Marie lives in a cottage on Kristen's land and performs maid services for the family. Peter has a friend named Jo who lives on one of the nearby farms. Jo's sister, Gerd, has shown interest in Peter in the past.
When Peter gets off the train in the countryside, his uncle informs him that Marie has disappeared, and that there is a new tenant living in the cottage, named Cathrine. Jo trades Peter pornographic magazines for dancing lessons. Linn sends Peter up to deliver milk to Cathrine, and Cathrine makes a sexual advance toward him. Kristen sends Peter into town to pick up some roofing supplies, and Peter runs into Gerd along the way. As Gerd and Peter ride their bicycles back into town, it begins to rain and they take shelter in a barn. There, Gerd and Peter kiss eachother and Peter feels her breasts.
The next day, Peter is fishing when he decides to find a place to take his clothes off because it is so hot outside. Stretched out on the grass, he sees Cathrine, and some of his uncle Kristen's items. Peter returns to fishing. As he looks around for a new spot, he sees Kristen cutting Marie's dead body loose from a tree limb overhanging the river, and Kristen explains that she had drown by becoming entangled in the limb.
A funeral is held for Marie. In his bedroom, Peter finds a love letter addressed to Kirsten from Marie. Although he cannot prove anything, Peter becomes suspicious that Kirsten killed Marie. The town has a dance. At the dance, Peter drinks alcohol with his friends who dare him to dance with Cathrine. As he approaches Cathrine, however, he runs into Gerd. Gerd and Peter dance until a fight breaks out over Cathrine at the dance. Kristen and Peter both fight well, and then Kristen takes Cathrine home. Peter returns home an hour later and, observing that Kristen is not home, Peter tells Linn that Kristen is with Cathrine.
Linn sends Peter to deliver milk to Cathrine. While Peter is at the cottage, he confronts Cathrine about her relationship with Kristen. Cathrine promises to break off her relationship with Kristen and to have sex with Peter if he can sneak away from his birthday party.
During Peter's birthday party, Peter sneaks away to the barn to wait for Cathrine. Gerd shows up instead of Cathrine. Peter sees Cathrine and Kristen sneaking away together and has sex with Gerd. Peter returns home to find that Kristen is informing Linn that divorce papers will be arriving the next day. In the morning, Peter finds Linn hanging in the barn, having committed suicide. Kristen remarries to Cathrine immediately and Peter returns home to the city.
ANALYSIS
This book approaches the subject of becoming a man. Peter begins to notice women for their beauty. He feels jealous of Cathrine and of Gerd for their romantic interests, yet he pursues both women simultaneously because he is so eager to have sex. Peter and Jo have a borderline homosexual relationship as they waltz with eachother, and Jo offers to masturbate with Peter and asks Peter how gay men have sex with one another. While he is standing in the woods, Peter has a moment during which he realizes his heterosexuality as he ejaculates in his pants while staring at a woman. Generally, Peter is confused and sexually aroused. He acts upon any opportunity he gets to pursue a heterosexual relationship and is unaware that Jo's actions imply homosexuality.
The subplot regarding Kristen's murder of Marie, and then divorce of Linn, keeps the book exciting. Kristen probably murdered Marie to keep her quiet about their relationship, although there was not much motivation for him to do this if he planned to divorce Linn, anyway. Kristen represents full yielding to sexual urges over morality, to me. Peter looks to Kristen as a role model in his time of need and is greatly disappointed.
A 15 year old boy named Peter lives in a city of Norway. Every summer he goes to the countryside to spend time with his Aunt Linn and Uncle Kristen on their farm, during which time he celebrates his birthday. Kristen is Peter's biological uncle. A girl named Marie lives in a cottage on Kristen's land and performs maid services for the family. Peter has a friend named Jo who lives on one of the nearby farms. Jo's sister, Gerd, has shown interest in Peter in the past.
When Peter gets off the train in the countryside, his uncle informs him that Marie has disappeared, and that there is a new tenant living in the cottage, named Cathrine. Jo trades Peter pornographic magazines for dancing lessons. Linn sends Peter up to deliver milk to Cathrine, and Cathrine makes a sexual advance toward him. Kristen sends Peter into town to pick up some roofing supplies, and Peter runs into Gerd along the way. As Gerd and Peter ride their bicycles back into town, it begins to rain and they take shelter in a barn. There, Gerd and Peter kiss eachother and Peter feels her breasts.
The next day, Peter is fishing when he decides to find a place to take his clothes off because it is so hot outside. Stretched out on the grass, he sees Cathrine, and some of his uncle Kristen's items. Peter returns to fishing. As he looks around for a new spot, he sees Kristen cutting Marie's dead body loose from a tree limb overhanging the river, and Kristen explains that she had drown by becoming entangled in the limb.
A funeral is held for Marie. In his bedroom, Peter finds a love letter addressed to Kirsten from Marie. Although he cannot prove anything, Peter becomes suspicious that Kirsten killed Marie. The town has a dance. At the dance, Peter drinks alcohol with his friends who dare him to dance with Cathrine. As he approaches Cathrine, however, he runs into Gerd. Gerd and Peter dance until a fight breaks out over Cathrine at the dance. Kristen and Peter both fight well, and then Kristen takes Cathrine home. Peter returns home an hour later and, observing that Kristen is not home, Peter tells Linn that Kristen is with Cathrine.
Linn sends Peter to deliver milk to Cathrine. While Peter is at the cottage, he confronts Cathrine about her relationship with Kristen. Cathrine promises to break off her relationship with Kristen and to have sex with Peter if he can sneak away from his birthday party.
During Peter's birthday party, Peter sneaks away to the barn to wait for Cathrine. Gerd shows up instead of Cathrine. Peter sees Cathrine and Kristen sneaking away together and has sex with Gerd. Peter returns home to find that Kristen is informing Linn that divorce papers will be arriving the next day. In the morning, Peter finds Linn hanging in the barn, having committed suicide. Kristen remarries to Cathrine immediately and Peter returns home to the city.
ANALYSIS
This book approaches the subject of becoming a man. Peter begins to notice women for their beauty. He feels jealous of Cathrine and of Gerd for their romantic interests, yet he pursues both women simultaneously because he is so eager to have sex. Peter and Jo have a borderline homosexual relationship as they waltz with eachother, and Jo offers to masturbate with Peter and asks Peter how gay men have sex with one another. While he is standing in the woods, Peter has a moment during which he realizes his heterosexuality as he ejaculates in his pants while staring at a woman. Generally, Peter is confused and sexually aroused. He acts upon any opportunity he gets to pursue a heterosexual relationship and is unaware that Jo's actions imply homosexuality.
The subplot regarding Kristen's murder of Marie, and then divorce of Linn, keeps the book exciting. Kristen probably murdered Marie to keep her quiet about their relationship, although there was not much motivation for him to do this if he planned to divorce Linn, anyway. Kristen represents full yielding to sexual urges over morality, to me. Peter looks to Kristen as a role model in his time of need and is greatly disappointed.
- Boy goes to visit aunt and uncle on a farm during the summer
- He meets the new tenant of their cottage and wishes to have sex with her
- Boy finds the old tenant of the cottage dead in the river, suspects his uncle of killing her
- Boy ends up in a relationship with his best friend's sister, and his uncle divorces his aunt
- Boy's aunt kills herself, and the uncle marries the new tenant, and the boy goes home
SOURCE
Faldbakken, Knut. The Insect Summer. Trans. Hal Sutcliffe and Torbjorn Stoverud. London: Peter Owens, 1991. Print. Book about a boy's summer at his aunt and uncle's farm.
No comments:
Post a Comment