Hats off to Owen Gent, who produced this beautiful artwork on the cover of Advent by Gunnar Gunnarsson! It 100% drew me towards the book and made me pick it up. There’s something that feels quite cosy about the peach-pink sky, flecked with golden starlight. I was charmed by the idea of a cosy winter read.
Jólabókaflóð
I’d bought Advent with the intention of it being my Christmas Eve read… but I crumbled! It’s written by Icelandic writer Gunnar Gunnarsson so it’s a cute tie in for Jólabókaflóð, the Icelandic tradition of exchanging books on Christmas Eve and staying up late reading them. Well, it’s been calling me ever since we hit December, so that plan has gone out the window. The books pick you, I truly believe.
Having a book to settle down with under the cover of a blanket or duvet is the pinnacle of my ideal way to spend a Sunday. Today has been miserable weather with plenty of wind and rain, and so I popped the electric blanket on a low setting, pulled the covers up and got stuck in to Advent.
Advent by Gunnar Gunnarsson
Advent is a short read, at only 84 pages long. It tells the story of solitary shepherd, Benedikt, who spends every advent trekking into the mountains to rescue sheep trapped in the snow. He is 53 years old, with a weariness in his bones, and this is his 27th foray into hills. There are various stops along his route – farmhouses and huts – before he treks into the furthest depths of the landscape. His companions are Leo his trusted sheepdog ‘a veritable pope’, and Eitill, a stoic ram. Together, the ‘Trinity’ search out trapped sheep and lead them back down the mountains.
On this particular year, Benedikt faces a number of delays. Other farmhands want to join him, hoping he will help rescue their sheep and horses. Well-meaning farmers, their wives, postmen and so forth wish to keep him longer – there is much concern about the weather forecast. As the story progresses, weather conditions worsen, and soon Benedikt is isolated, weary and running out of food.
I hadn’t anticipated the story’s exploration of faith. Benedikt is a man of deep faith and spends much of his time ruminating about God. He is a selfless man, with no vices, and no ill temper. The sheep he rescues are not his, and it is a mission he takes upon himself, to rescue these living creatures. As his situation deteriorates, I began to fear the worst for all of them. The conclusion is a heart warming lesson in community spirit.
