After the Fire

By: Henning Mankell

Narrated by: Sean Barrett

Random House presents the unabridged downloadable audiobook edition of After the Fire by Henning Mankell.

Fredrik Welin is a 70-year-old retired doctor. Years ago he retreated to the Swedish archipelago where he lives alone on an island. He swims in the sea every day, cutting a hole in the ice if necessary. He lives a quiet life. Until he wakes up one night to find his house on fire.

Fredrik escapes just in time, wearing two left-footed wellies, as neighbouring islanders arrive to help douse the flames. All that remains in the morning is a stinking ruin and evidence of arson. The house that has been in his family for generations and all his worldly belongings are gone. He cannot think who would do such a thing or why. Without a suspect, the police begin to think he started the fire himself.

Tackling love, loss and loneliness, After the Fire is Henning Mankell's compelling last novel.

©2017 Henning Mankell (P)2017 Random House Audiobooks

Mankell + Barrett = Genius

I think you may have to be approaching "Fredrik's" age to really appreciate this book. Fredrik is not a particularly nice person, He has lived his (probably comfortable) life according to his desires, had a professional calamity, paid the price. Reclusive and alone, he has ended up as the sum of that life long equation, and, in the face of the disaster of the fire and his efforts to understand what has happened and is happening finds that he is, largely, irrelevant. Everything happens to him, and around him, nothing is about him anymore, he is (despite his clumsy, bitter efforts) peripheral to everyone else in his life. Barrett's masterly interpretation amplifies all this. At times Barrett's reading is almost too sad, at other dialogue moments you just hope that "Fredrik" will not respond using Mankells words and Barretts tone of voice...but he does, and digs a deeper hole for himself. Enough said...however those of us of a certain age and enough self awareness might listen to this and take it as a warning.

watch paint dry, it's more fun than this!

boring, boring, boring. emotionally stunted characters who achieve nothing, don't change and who's lives are dull.