BOOK REVIEW: MAJA LUNDE, “BLÅ [THE END OF THE OCEAN]”, OSLO, ASCHEHOUG & CO., 2017, 216 P.

Abstract

The End of the Ocean is the second novel in Maja Lunde’s klimakvartetten (climate quartet), following her worldwide success The History of Bees (Bienes Historie in original Norwegian, Istoria Albinelor in Romanian; the novel has been translated into Romanian by Professor Sanda Tomescu Baciu and published in 2019). The original Norwegian title of The End of the Ocean is Blå, meaning “blue”, a fit title since the novel revolves around the importance of water for human and non-human beings, but also for maintaining the balance of our ecosystems. The book is constructed in the same manner as The History of Bees, but this time the reader is confronted with only two storylines, instead of three. The first one revolves around Signe, a 70-year-old woman who sets out on a voyage to France, where she plans to meet her long lost lover, Magnus. The action takes place in present day Norway, but Lunde often uses flashbacks to familiarise the reader with Signe and Magnus’ past. The two lovers met in college, and they were both environmental activists. However, they began to drift apart when Magnus changed his attitude regarding the conservation of the glaciers and agreed with the selling of ice they fought so hard to preserve.