Luna Miller’s debut novella has been effectively translated from Swedish into English by Aidan Isherwood, keeping the characters and drama alive and realistic.
The story, while not particularly memorable, is an enjoyable glimpse into three days in the lives of half a dozen residents whose lives intersect through the arrival of a stranger.
When artist Gabriel arrives in the remote town of Ludvika to focus on his art, he becomes entangled in the lives of the locals, with all their personal politics, love affairs, friendships and hardships. While some deal with their own demons, others judge or just try to get on with their lives. It’s a diverse population but a perfect storm for Gabriel’s arrival to trigger what lurks underneath.
The difficulty of considering a translated script is that it’s not possible to know how much of the translator is in the adaptation without reading the original text too. Whether it’s to Miller or Isherwood’s credit, or both, the prose is light and easy to read, with enough curiosity aroused to keep the reader reading. It’s difficult to foresee where the story is leading, which makes for a more interesting tale but, unfortunately, there’s no great wow factor to keep the story entrenched in memory once the final chapter closes.
The characters are all unique and distinguishable but a novella spares little room to really get to know any of them beyond the surface, particularly with such a large cast.
Three Days in September is a good choice for a lazy day, offering enough interest to see it through.
Reviewed by Rod Lewis
Twitter: @StrtegicRetweet
Rating out of 10: 6
Available through: Amazon Australia
Released: September 2016
RRP: $3.99 eBook
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