When I first saw this it looked rather interesting, but I'm sorry to say it failed. It rambles from character to character, from the parents who seem to failed their children completely then to their children living in their own un-worldly worlds. I generally like Scandinavian ficton, but this is a very poor example. It's more of a political polemic than a novel, loosely disguised as story of human emotions. The characters vary from the unfocused father, living in belief that everything in the world can be solved by not living in the real world. Then to the mother, who lectures to students on political philosophers from the real world, with extensive quotes. Both the children have run away from their dysfunctional parents and gone to live in desperate diverse worlds one of poverty and the other in their rich home town and neither of them live in any sort of real life. I found this book almost impossible to finish and will not be recommending it.