“There is nothing sentimental about this world. Like the weather, this world asks only to be acknowledged”

“An island can be dreadful for someone from outside. Everything is complete, and everyone has his obstinate, sure, and self-sufficient place. Within their shores, everything functions according to rituals that are as hard as rock from repetition, and at the same time they amble through their days as whimsically and casually as if the world ended at the horizon.”

“life is hard enough without being punished for it afterwards”

“When people talked about him or thought about him, it seemed natural to lift their heads and gaze out over the sea.”

“One of the mysterious and attractive things about Eriksson was that he didn’t talk about himself. He never seemed to feel the urge. Nor did he talk about other people; they didn’t interest him very much. His infrequent visits might occur at any time of the day or night, and they never lasted long. Depending on when he arrived, he might have a cup of coffee or a meal or even take a drink just to be polite, but then he would turn quiet and uneasy, he would start listening, and then he would leave. But as long as he stayed, he had everyone’s undivided attention. No one did anything, no one looked at anything but Eriksson. They would hang on his every word, and when he was gone and nothing had actually been said, their thoughts would dwell gravely on what he had left unspoken.”

“Sophia adored Eriksson. He never asked her what she did or how old she was. He greeted her just as solemnly as he greeted the others and said goodbye the same way—with a short nod and no smile.”

“And he doesn’t eat vegetables, either. He calls it grass. You know that”

“A very long time ago, Grandmother had wanted to tell about all the things they did, but no one had bothered to ask. And now she had lost the urge.”

“a person was more in tune with himself when he lived close to nature”

“Sometimes people never saw things clearly until it was too late and they no longer had the strength to start again. Or else they forgot their idea along the way and didn’t even realize that they had forgotten”

“They claimed later that it smelled. Of course it smelled—that was part of its charm. Smell is important. It reminds a person of all the things he’s been through; it is a sheath of memories and security.

Vocab

• comport
• unrequited
• obstinate
• contemptuously
• confounded
• ingratiate
• tumultuous