I've been a huge fan of Per Petterson since Out Stealing Horses. This book was on my dead Dad reading list for quite some time. Most of Peterson's work stems from an immense sadness, a loss. The loss of his father and other family members in a tragic ferry fire. An incident that would make national news. This is a fictional account of that incident and its impact on him. He struggles with the loss, but the actual loss isn't revealed or detailed until the end of the book. 

He is directionless, waking up randomly and without his family. He has been spiraling for some time. He is on the precipice of the same situation when he meets his brother. It is an excruciating exercise, but they eventually both come to terms with their loss and come back from the brink.