The story of the same name in the collection is a real gem and introduces readers to Joanna and her teenage son Leo on vacation in Denmark. Joanna tells her son that the purpose of the trip is to visit Legoland, but it turns out that Leo’s absent father also lives there. With that in mind, McCracken gives us beautiful glimpses like this when Joanna listens to Leo, who discourages the idea that Viking helmets had horns: “A year and a half before Leo could read, but after he started talking, Joanna had it all Known head, thoughts and horrors, facts and passions. … All the time now he had thoughts that she hadn’t put in his head, that she knew was the point of having children, but destroyed them. “
I could quote from any story, but do yourself a favor and read the book. McCracken has provided a lovely collection of stories loosely linked by one theme – the family bonds that break and heal when lives are lived.
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