Osebol

Near the river Klarälven, nestled in the dense forest landscape of northern Värmland, lies the secluded village of Osebol. It is a quiet place, where relationships take root for decades and where the bustle of urban life is replaced by the sound of the wind in the trees. In this extraordinary and absorbing book, an unexpected cultural phenomenon in Sweden, the stories of the inhabitants of Osebol come to life in their own words. In the last half century, the automation of the logging industry and constant transfers to the cities have reduced the town's adult population to about forty inhabitants. But life goes on: relics pass from hand to hand, memories from word of mouth, and new arrivals come from near and far. Marit Kapla has interviewed almost all the villagers between the ages of eighteen and ninety-two and has recorded their stories verbatim. The result is both a family chronicle of a great social metamorphosis, told from within, and a beautiful microcosmic portrait of a place and its people. To read Osebol is to lose yourself in its gentle rhythms of simple language and open space, and leave with the feeling of having really gotten to know the inhabitants of this varied community, nestled among the trees in a changing world.