The Ferryman and His Wife
By Frode Grytten
Translated from Norwegian by Allison McCullough
Published 2025
Read May 2026
This fairly short (176 pages) book packs a quiet wallop. Nils Vik wakes up one morning, alone as his wife has passed, somehow knowing it will be his final day. He follows his usual morning routine and goes to his boat which he has operated for thirty-some years as a ferry between villages and other landing spots along his home fjord. This ferry service has provided the most practical way to traverse the fjord and get to the various landing spots. He picks up passengers along the way, the first one being his beloved dog, Luna, now deceased and who now has the power of speech. Luna and Nils talk on and off all day. In fact, all the passengers he picks up that day are deceased and all have played some role in his life. We hear Nils think about his life as he makes the journey that day.
This is a remarkable way to learn about our protagonist’s life—the various obstacles he encountered and the various joys he experienced. The story rolls out slowly and in a non-chronological manner, so the reader gets to do some work to weave the story together.
Nils sometimes talks with the passengers as well as Luna. Mainly we hear his thoughts. The voice in his head is calm and collected as one would expect from a Norwegian fellow. He clearly has a few regrets, but he is generally content with his choice of occupation and with the way he has lived his life.
The story of Nils and Marta’s marriage is a very slow one to be revealed and it’s not clear how it’s going to go and whether she will be a passenger he meets.
Read this excellent book to find the answers to these questions and enjoy both Nils’s story, contemplations, and the gorgeous scenery of the fjord around him.
