This is a quiet, reflective book with beautiful, emotionally restrained prose that somehow still manages to be gently emotional. Nils Vik wakes up on what he knows will be the last day of his life and goes about his normal daily routine. He is a ferryman in Norway, someone who has spent decades carrying people across a fjord, and on this final day he follows a familiar route while also collecting the dead. These are former ferry passengers he once knew, people he developed relationships with over the years, as well as his dog, Luna. Nils himself is questions if these ghosts are actually hallucinations, but whether they are isn't the point.

What matters instead is reflection. As Nils moves through this day, he looks back on his life as a ferryman and on his life with his wife, Marta, who died some time before. The novel is his process of working his way back to her, looking forward to seeing her at the end of this last day. Nils's life was not perfect, but he seemed generally to be content with his lot. He was a man of few words, but clearly cared about people, as we see from both the flashbacks and his interactions with the ghosts. I also loved the glimpse into everyday life in this rural part of Norway over the past fifty years or so. 

The writing stood out to me the most. While the prose isn’t lush, there are some lovely descriptions of the fjord and the surrounding environment, and the author often conveys emotion without directly naming it; I give credit to both the author and the translator here.This is an unhurried book, and while it’s short enough to be read quickly, maybe even in one sitting, I think it benefits from being taken slowly. I definitely recommend this one, especially for readers who appreciate slow-paced, quiet novels.

CW: violent animal death