An entire town fits into this building. I mean, the entire population of the town actually lives in it. The town is located in Alaska and is called Whittier. About two hundred people live here, and all the infrastructure is in the same building: a post office, a medical clinic, a shop, and a laundry. Recently, a book for teenagers titled "A House Far from the World" was released in Russian; it tells the story of a similar house located in Iceland.
This book is not for everyone. Only read it if you love strange, slow-paced stories, a northern atmosphere, and... talking to children about what you’ve read. There is plenty to discuss here.
So, Iceland...
A family—mom, dad, son, and daughter—live in Reykjavik, and everything is completely normal for them: they go to school, work, and have fun. But suddenly, they receive news that their grandmother has broken her hip, and the old lady lives far away, on a tiny island where there are hardly any residents. On top of that, a string of financial bad luck hits, and the parents decide to move the whole family out of the city and into this remote wilderness in the middle of an icy sea for a while. They have to move for a long time because they arrive on the island on the very last ferry before a long break. Winter lies ahead...
The most interesting thing is that the islanders don't live in a village, but in a single multi-story building that functions as a commune, where every member has a role: doctor, energy technician, livestock farmer, launderer, cook, entertainment director, parasite controller... The livestock, by the way, also live in this same high-rise; some areas are equipped as a barn. The school, the shop, and the "playground" are all right there, because winters can be such that it is physically impossible to leave the house. Everyone works for the common good and follows rules developed over the years. One might expect that people finding themselves isolated from the rest of the world would show their basest character traits, as in "Lord of the Flies," but no, here it is the exact opposite: everyone respects each other and will never leave a neighbor without help. For example, when two deaf twin girls were born on the island, all the residents learned sign language for them, because all members of the community are equally valuable and no one can be neglected.
The islanders' daily life is difficult: they are extremely frugal, they eat little, save water, and pedal exercise bikes every day to provide the house with electricity. There is no internet, there isn't enough electricity to charge gadgets, and the only entertainment is the nightly gatherings of residents for communal leisure in the cafeteria. And so, city children, who never imagined such a thing even in their worst nightmares, find themselves in these conditions.
There is a plot here, there is a certain detective element, but the focus is not on the events, but on what is happening in the hearts and minds of the main characters. How they adapt to the circumstances and how the old-timers perceive the newcomers.
On the Russian internet, this book is criticized for supposedly urging the reader to drop everything and switch to an eco-friendly lifestyle, but that’s not what it’s about at all. It’s hard to imagine anyone being lured by such domestic sketches; quite the opposite... It’s difficult to imagine a teenager who will read this story and say, "Wow, how great it is not to have internet access, a TV at home, or even a fridge in the kitchen. I don’t want to eat sweets or get gifts anymore; I desperately want to spend all my free time pedaling in the gym! And to save water, only flush the toilet every other time! And eat cafeteria food every day!" No, the book does not thoughtlessly promote ecology, although this issue is undoubtedly raised. The book is not about having to switch to a zero-waste lifestyle. It doesn't shame modern civilization for its wastefulness. It’s not about progressive views or backwardness. It is simply about the fact that people live differently, and what seems mundane to some may be completely alien to others.
It’s like when you suddenly find yourself traveling in a completely unfamiliar place and think, "Wow! People live here too!" Most likely, the authors of this book wanted first and foremost to show readers exactly that: yes, in parallel with the world we are used to, a completely different reality exists. And the characters in this book didn’t go to the ends of the earth; they stayed in their own home country. They are not separated from the rest by a cultural abyss, yet look at how differently one can live! Note also that this is not some banana republic with all its glitter and poverty, but a developed and wealthy Iceland with relatively even income distribution and a homogeneous population.
The book is not perfect, but, firstly, the plot of this story is completely original, which is not something you encounter all that often; secondly, it provides plenty of topics for discussion, which means it wasn't all for nothing.
Are you feeling tempted to head north to Iceland?
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