3.0
The Rock Blaster
ByPublisher Description
Henning Mankell's first novel, never before released in English, explores the reflections of a working class man who has struggled against the constraints of his station for his entire life. A VINTAGE ORIGINAL.
The year is 1911. The young rock blaster Oskar Johansson has been killed in an accident. Or so it says in the local newspaper. In spite of serious injuries, however, Oskar survives. Decades later, Oskar looks back and reflects on his working life as an invalid, his marriage, his dreams, and his hopes. Oskar's life is woven together out of fragments of voices, images, and episodes that, taken together, provide a sharp and precise picture of life in Sweden for the working class.
The year is 1911. The young rock blaster Oskar Johansson has been killed in an accident. Or so it says in the local newspaper. In spite of serious injuries, however, Oskar survives. Decades later, Oskar looks back and reflects on his working life as an invalid, his marriage, his dreams, and his hopes. Oskar's life is woven together out of fragments of voices, images, and episodes that, taken together, provide a sharp and precise picture of life in Sweden for the working class.
Download the free Fable app

Stay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.
Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool
Rate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags
Curate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities6 Reviews
3.0

Chicken
Created 11 months agoShare
Report

Ilana
Created over 2 years agoShare
Report

Halime
Created about 3 years agoShare
Report
“I loved the first half. The way it kept switching from Oskar’s early years before the accident to years later right before his death. I loved the way it was written from an anonymous narrator. I loved learning about the effects of his accident during the course of his life, and I loved seeing the contrast of how he viewed his life to be so little and nothing vs what he actually went through and did.
The reason why I’m rating 3 though is because it became political in the second half of the book, which I should have seen coming considering the years it’s set in. But I feel the political second half wasn’t as enjoyable to be read as the first half.
“Oskar tries to creat a false picture of himself, and his story has to be seen and developed in the context of whatever motivated his choice.””

fmorrier
Created over 3 years agoShare
Report
About Henning Mankell
Henning Mankell's novels have been translated into forty-five languages and have sold more than forty million copies worldwide. He was the first winner of the Ripper Award and also received the Glass Key and the Crime Writers' Association Golden Dagger, among other awards. His Kurt Wallander mysteries have been adapted into a PBS television series starring Kenneth Branagh. During his life, Mankell divided his time between Sweden and Mozambique, where he was artistic director of the Teatro Avenida in Maputo. He died in 2015.
Other books by Henning Mankell
Start a Book Club
Start a public or private book club with this book on the Fable app today!FAQ
Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?
Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?
How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?
Do you sell physical books too?
Are book clubs free to join on Fable?
How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?