Fylg sjóvarfallinum
As a young man, Konrad Rasmussen escapes the Faroe Islands and journeys half the world before finding refuge in the North Island of New Zealand where he begins to work for the famous (or infamous) Dane, bishop Monrad. Konrad is gifted and quick-tempered, and readers will recognize him from previous Denniston novels, such as Con the Brake. He has to face the fact that there is no escaping the past.
This is Konrad’s story and the story of the unusual Danish / Māori woman, Anahuiu. It is a story about new lands and old tales, seafaring and war, and the search for love. It is also the story of the Faroe Islands in the 1860s and the early connection between Denmark and New Zealand.
In Fylg sjóvarfallinum (Catching the Current) free will struggles against the power of traditions in both the Faroe Islands and New Zealand/Aotearoa. I hope that Faroese readers will recognize parallels in the relationship between the Faroese and the Danes and the Māori tribes and the English settlers.
- Jenny Pattrick