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|title=Depths

|author=Henning Mankell

|buy=Yes

|borrow=Yes

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In the rest of Europe World War I has started but Sweden is still neutral despite her German sympathies. Lars Tobiasson-Svartman is a naval engineer charged with the task of measuring the depth of the sea in the Swedish archipelago to find speedier navigable channels. This isn't just a job - it's an obsession for Tobiasson-Svartman, whose ambition is to find a depth that can't be measured. The act of measuring is an obsession for him - he's constantly measuring the distances between himself and other people. Death seems to follow him around; there are three whilst he's making his first series of soundings, including the captain of the ship.

The book is a translation from the original Swedish by Laurie Thompson who has also translated many of the Inspector Wallander novels for which Mankell is best known. His translation produces some lyrical, evocative prose which it would be difficult to better. ''Depths'' is something of a departure for Mankell, but judging by the quality of this book I expect and hope to see more in a similar vein.

This book was sent to Bookbag by the publishers, Harvill Secker.

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