Italian Shoes

Italian Shoes (2009) by Henning Mankell. A man -- a doctor -- lives on a small private island in Sweden, with just his dog and his cat to keep him company. Why has he chosen to live this way, with no human contact other than the postman? It seems that years earlier, when he was a practicing surgeon, he made a terrible mistake during and operation that forever altered the life of his patient. He has isolated himself, and seeks no change, when suddenly one day appears on the ice Harriet, the woman he abandoned so many years ago. She has come to make him fulfill a promise he made to her, and they set off together on a journey that will forever alter the doctor's life. It's a well-told story, although it starts rather slowly, it builds toward several climaxes of considerable power. I enjoyed reading it, but all in all I didn't really like the doctor, so had little investment in his eventual redemption. Grade: B+