BOOK REVIEW: THE GREENHOUSE ( Rosa Candida/ Afleggjarinn) by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir

 Hello dear readers and fellow bloggers! How are you doing? Today I'm back with another book review. The Greenhouse (Rosa Candida in Croatian & French translation and Afleggjarinn in  original language) by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir is a novel about a young man who decides to leave his native country of Iceland to restore a medieval garden in an unnamed country. 

Don't feel obliged to read this  rather long book review. I write and publish (detailed) book reviews because it is something I enjoy doing.  I understand long book reviews are not something everyone is into to or cares for. When I write book reviews, I never do it with an intention of influencing someone's point of view. The beauty of art and literature is that we can all experience it in different ways. Sure, sometimes I will really praise or recommend some book if I find it exceptional. However, if I don't enjoy some book or some aspects of it that shouldn't put you off because we all have different tastes. I find most books have something to offer and it is rare that I find a book a complete waste of time. This one certainly wasn't and I'm glad I acquired and read Rosa Candida.   I gave this novel 3 out of 5 starts on goodreads. It wasn't as good as I hoped it would be, but it was in some ways quite a satisfying read.

DIFFERENT TITLES FOR DIFFERENT EDITIONS- A. AVA'S AFLEGGJARINN (OFFSPRING) BECOMES THE GREENHOUSE IN ENGLISH AND ROSA CANDIDA IN FRENCH & CROATIAN TRANSLATION 

 I don't know a word of Icelandic, so I cannot guess what the original title Afleggjarinn should mean. The google translator refused to help and kept claiming this word is Dutch and the only answer I found after a google search and another translation attempt is that  it can mean offshoot or side-road. After stumbling onto an interview with the author on Icelandic Litearature Center site, I think it is safe to go with ' The Offspring' as that is how this novel was referenced in the interview.  So, I guess that both the English and the French translators got creative with translating the title. I would love to hear from a native speaker and find out more about other possible meanings and interpretations of the title, but as far as I know my blog doesn't have any readers from Iceland. Well, maybe some day. Isn't it interesting how titles of books and movies can vary from a country to country? Speaking of titles, I dived into different interpretations of The Sky is Red in my last book review only to found out that this title was chosen (and changed) by the published. The author didn't even know about it until after the book was published. Isn't that wild? Well, in this case the author is well aware of different titles in translations. Speaking of that, I recommend once again this  lovely interview with the author Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir that you can read here (Icelandic Literature Center).  When asked how she feels about translations, the writer gave an interesting answer: 

“While much is lost, of course, each each language also offers new possibilities. I've been very fortunate with translators – they have succeeded beautifully in reproducing the rhythms, which is probably the hardest part of a translator's job. The French edition of The Greenhouse will be out in August 2010. The French chose a new title for the work: Rosa candida, which is the name of the rose cultivated by the novel's protagonist, but also an ancient term for the Virgin Mary. When discussing the work, the French make the term candide correspond to the innocence and purity of the young father in the book, and also connect it to Voltaire's Candide. Danish readers, on the other hand, found the protagonist's trust towards strangers and foreigners remarkable, and made a connection to Dostoyevsky's The Idiot."

LITERATURE AS A WAY OF LEARNING ABOUT A COUNTRY

It's always wonderful to read a new author, isn't it? One thing I really enjoyed about this book were the poetical descriptions and the artistic sensibility. The poetical prose I found in this book makes me want to read more of Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir. I don't understand people who won't read translations. That sounds terribly limiting to me. Literature can be such a great way of learning about another country, don't you think? This is only my second novel falling into category of contemporary Icelandic books. My first one was a thriller Snowblind, whereas this one is more a romantic coming of age story.  I can't wait to read more Icelandic authors. It's wonderful they are getting translated and read more. While I'm on the subject, I admit the main reason why I bought this book is because the author is from Iceland. As soon as I saw those Icelandic characters (i.e. unique letters), I decided to buy the book. I'm somewhat fascinated with Iceland. Plus, the cover of the Croatian edition is really pretty with a lovely rose. This novel is partly set in Iceland, but it doesn't really focus on the country or the culture, rather it puts a young man into focus. Now, that would have been less disappointing if this protagonist actually made sense most of the time, but it's alright because I was still able to enjoy this beautiful book. Look, I even dressed up and wore my favourite pink vintage dress to match this beautiful cover. Scroll down to read my full review.

SLOWLY PACED, BUT POETIC PROSE SOMETIMES MAKES UP FOR IT

Rosa Candida/The Greenhouse is slowly paced story without a proper ending but with some wonderfully poetic descriptions. I would say that the writing is not meditative or profound enough to make it a truly rewarding read or to make up for the fact that the book is pretty uneventful. Therefore, I wouldn't call it a successful novel. I didn't feel like I learned anything new from it (apart from some gardening hacks) but I really enjoyed the poetic descriptions. Even if it didn't feel well rounded up, Rosa Candida/ The Greenhouse was still an interesting read in some ways. I don't regret buying the book, as disappointing as its protagonist sometimes might have been.

THE PROTAGONIST OF THE NOVEL, THE YOUNG LOBBI IS ALTOGETHER TOO NAIVE BUT AT LEAST HIS GRIEF FOR HIS LATE MOTHER FEELS REAL ENOUGH

Lobbi, as his father calls him, is the protagonist of this novel. Having lost his mother in a tragic accident, Lobbi is a lost man in his early twenties living on Iceland. He has a child out of wedlock with Anna (an ex-girlfriend of his friend) but he doesn't have a functioning relationship with either the mother of his child or the child. Lobbi doesn't seem to have any friends either. His elderly father seems to be his only social contact and while I enjoyed reading their dialogues, they were rarely truly insightful. In fact, the dialogues were mostly focused on cooking recipes left over by the Lobbi's late mother and on giving us updates on the possibility of a  dating life for the elderly father.

As the novel opens, Lobbi who is generally quite passive, actually takes some initiative. He applies for a job in an unnamed monastery in unnamed European country and sets off. This might be interpreted as his running away from the world, but it can also be interpreted as Lobbi  following his dreams and connecting with his late mother. Lobbi was quite close with his late mother. Together the two, quite enthusiastically, cared for a greenhouse full of plants, including a rare rose whose offspring Lobbi plans to take to the convenient. That part of the story actually makes perfect sense to me. Lobbi's grief for his mother feels real enough. A rose offspring being taken to blossom in a monastery is a wonderful metaphor. It is not something expected, someone from Iceland, taking a rose offspring to an European monastery and restoring its forgotten garden to its old glory. I think it could be interpreted as a beautiful metaphor about rebirth. I mean the premise of this novel is wonderful. 

The reader is invited in Lobbi's inner world, the only problem is that it often doesn't make sense. He seems altogether too naive to make sense as a protagonist.  Lobbi treats everyone with trust even if it is uncertain what he really feels- I mean it seems like he is always hoping for the best but at the same time, he doesn't seem like an optimist. Moreover, everyone seems to respond to Lobbi in a positive way during the whole trip and after he settles and that doesn't make much sense either. If the author wanted to turn this novel into a modern fairy-tale, there should have been some adjustments, this way the novel sometimes seems stuck between realistic and fairy-tale.

WHY EXACTLY IS LOBBI'S SO WEIRD?

Personally, I found the protagonist of this book puzzling and annoying. Seeing that Lobbi is at the centre of the book at all times, this understandably affected my enjoyment of this book. His age doesn't explain it. Lobbi's is in his early twenties, it's not like he's 13 years old- but it feels that way sometimes, especially when he interacts with women. If the protagonist of this book, the young Lobbi, was suffering from autism (as his twin brother!), then his actions would make sense, but it is never so much as hinted in the book. If Lobbi had a mental disability of some kind then it would be easier to understand some 'rainy man' moments (as when he cannot tell women apart), but there is no indication of that. By this I mean no disrespect to people with disabilities, I'm just saying that it is understandable how someone on the spectrum or with a disability of some kind would have issues interpreting other's people's actions or establishing/ maintaining social contacts. However, that doesn't seem to be the case with Lobbi. 

I wish that the author at least left a possibility of Lobbi having some kind of health or psychological problem, because his behaviour doesn't make much sense. The grieving process for his mother doesn't explain it either because his anti-social behaviour seems to precede her death. Even if it explains some other things (like his inability to move on), the loss doesn't explain Lobbi's social phobia or whatever it is that makes him so weird. Lobbi's interaction with women is in want of another world- weird. He seems to be only interested in women as sexual objects but at the same time, he is not extremely interested in that either. He is more interested in flowers then sex, for example. Some things about him are definitely left unexplained. 

THE STORY DOESN'T FEEL REALISTIC BUT OCCASIONALLY IT GETS AWAY WITH IT

Soon into the novel, Lobbi decides to travel in an unnamed country to be a gardener in an obscure monastery. His travel and arrival is full of convenient moments that didn't feel realistic at all, but well the whole book is like that, so one gets used to it. Lobbi's destination didn't feel very real to me and I couldn't guess what kind of place or country it was supposed to be. Everyone seems to be very accepting of Lobbi, no matter where he goes and taken his lack of social skills, I found that unrealistic. To be completely honest, I didn't particularly enjoy the plot of the story as such. It didn't feel realistic at all, somehow everything works out too easily for Lobbi, despite his lack of social skills (or any skills besides gardening). Moreover, the novel wasn't philosophical enough to busy my head with, so it was a let down in some ways. The ending felt too sudden. Nevertheless, there were bits and pieces that I did like a lot.

WHEN THIS NOVEL GETS POETICAL, IT IS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL

What I liked most about this novel were the poetic descriptions of Iceland. Those were as wonderful as I hoped they would be but they were few and far apart. The description of gardening efforts of the protagonists' mother were really touching as were the descriptions of their relationship. I found the description of Lobbi's pain and loss convincing, even if nothing else about him made sense, at least that did. The author doesn't really explain his emotions in detail, but there is something quite touching about the moments when Lobbi remembers his mother, as for example when he remembers her gardening passion or her tragic car accident. Lobbi's elderly father sometimes comes alive in the dialogues as well.

 One can feel Lobbi's father is grieving for the loss of his wife, even if he doesn't show it explicitly. I wish there was more of father character in the novel- and more of the autistic brother. I found it strange how Lobbi seemed so distanced from his brother seeing they are twins who grew up together. Lobbi says he was closer with the mother while his brother was closer with the father- that might partly explain it but no fully. With so many questions left unanswered, I found it really hard to relate with Lobbi. I won't even get into his relationship with his daughter and the mother of his child. Let's just say it is extremely unrealistic for a baby to bond instantly with a man she  has hardly ever seen up to that point- even if Lobbi is her father...but it seems everything always works out well for Lobbi.

Still, there are some wonderful poetical descriptions in that part of the novel. Description of Lobbi's travel to the monastery and his stay there is quite beautiful at times. When he explores and admires the art in church, it is quite convincing. The author's does a great job of describing beautiful paintings and the garden coming to life. Altogether, I liked the writing style, it's just the protagonist's confusing portrayal that made it hard for me to relate to him.  The author seems to be at her best when she gets poetical and she does at times when writing about Lobbi's new life. Moreover, the author has a developed aesthetic feel that she sometimes translates quite well into writing. 

CONCLUSION- IT'S  A NOVEL THAT I ENJOYED BUT NOT AS MUCH AS I HOPED I WILL

All in all, I don't regret reading this novel but I can't say I immensely enjoyed it either. If slow paced books with a puzzling protagonist doesn't put you off, there is every chance you might enjoy this one. If you like well defined endings and characters, this is not a book for you. On the other hand, if you are fascinated with plants, you might enjoy this book. The descriptions of roses are quite beautiful. Recommendations can be tricky to give, but if you enjoy poetical prose, you will probably find something for yourself in this novel. 

Thank you for visiting, reading and commenting. Have a lovely day! Take care.