This is a heart-warming book that embraces the history of the Nordic commoners in its short stories. Ragnar and Ívar are brothers who grow up in rough conditions. Each of them gets by in their own way, but neither of them manages to find happiness and figures out love, and that has its price. It’s a parable of life without love but is also the story of family unity, which in the end is what helps get Ragnar back on his feet.