 |
Set amid the rustic landscape of Iceland, this tale explores our humanity and the ever-lingering mysteries that confound us with matters of life and death. Sixty-seven-year-old billionaire Daniel “Big Deal Dan” Pallson returns to his native homeland to promote his new proposed luxury hotel and fishing resort. Daniel’s younger brother, Jon, is among the protesters of the resort, with their differences pitting brother against brother in an icy confrontation. Shortly afterward, Daniel suffers a cardiac arrest that nearly kills him. As a result, Daniel is sent to stay with Jon at their 1940s farm, where they both grew up and where Jon now lives with his wife, Anna. The already rocky familial relationships stir up old resentments, especially when Daniel’s ex-wife, Doris, arrives and agrees to stay with them, too, trapping Daniel into an uncomfortable and inescapable situation.
During his recovery, Daniel is gradually overcome by deep guilt regarding his treatment of his family and the heart-rending loss of his son, Thomas. The culmination of everything happening propels Daniel toward an existential crisis as he contemplates his impending death and ruminates on his haunting past. Vivid dreams plague him at night, and heartbreaking memories surface, weighing heavily upon Daniel in his weakened physical state. At the same time that Daniel wrestles with his own despair, the situation affects everyone around him just as much. Jon is a pastor who extends Daniel every courtesy while encouraging him to mend his damaged relationship with Doris. Also, everyone wants Daniel to reconsider his resort development and its potentially harmful impact on the natural Icelandic region and waterways. Daniel is under pressure in a way he has never been before, compelled to make some of his most difficult decisions.
Writer, director, and producer Christopher White has teamed up with actress Jennifer Curran to craft a mesmeric family drama that grapples with unresolved traumas and the renewal of faith. Their novel is a well-paced, appealing read that follows the trajectory of multiple characters’ lives and the choices they make. It examines the changes they experience both physically and mentally as they confront painful truths. But where the writing shines is in the descriptions of the beautiful Icelandic terrain, which aids the serenity of the family farm where Daniel transforms from a once-driven businessman to a humbled man in his late sixties who searches for peace.
In a note on the text, Curran writes that this project was deeply personal due to the loss of her twenty-three-year-old sister to senseless tragedy. In addition, White’s friend disclosed that the loss of his own child brought nonstop grief to him every day. With these acknowledgments, it is easier to understand their approach to Daniel and how the unresolved issues between him and everyone else are heightened by the buried wounds of his son’s death. The lasting effect and deep emotions of that devastation simmer to the surface amid Daniel’s own brush with death, catapulting him into a push-and-pull interaction with each character as they reconnect and reconcile with one another. This drama and tension underlines the authors’ writing, touching on themes of moral obligations and contemplations of choices and regrets. One intriguing touch is the AI imagery that permeates the narrative, adding a film-like quality to the story, which White admits he hopes to translate to the screen someday. Altogether, this absorbing story is a sobering reminder of how love is healing and what truly matters are the people in our lives. After all, the time we have with others is precious and fleeting.