Though lyrically-written and compellingly-charactered, this novel's real charm is that it allows us to see the world of northern Europe through the eyes of an ostracized 17th-century Icelandic naturalist/mystic. Superstition goes hand-in-hand with empirical proto-scientific analysis, etc. For a short novel, there's a lot going on here: thematically, storytelling plays an important role. However, there isn't much of an overall story-arc. Rather, Jonas (the narrator, exiled to a remote island)simply relates different events in his life, run through with sort of a pantheistic Christian philosophizing. The religious aspects of this novel are interesting as well: in medieval Iceland, Christian and pagan myth became intertwined in fascinating ways. In any case, this is a pretty, gritty, and thematically dense novel that rewards attention.