Julemysteriet

Well... second time reading, about 25 years after the first time. Wow, how time flies!Back in the 90s, Jostein Gaarder was very famous for his [b:Sophie's World 10959 Sophie's World Jostein Gaarder https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1343459906l/10959.SY75.jpg 4432325]. I didn't like that one, but I remember liking this one and the tarot card book. Now I re-read this one, as it's Christmas time and this one is kind of a count-down calendar. I noticed things I didn't see the previous time.We have this 5 years old girl who Pro-Palestinians kidnap to force her father, a rather famous journalist, to write about the Palestine-Israel situation. She is taken to Palestine and raised as a Palestinian girl. Her parents never knew what happened to her, so I suppose the kidnapping went awry. That's the frame story, though, and it's not much talked about in the book. The main story is about this young boy who wants a “Christmas calendar” - a countdown calendar with 24 “doors” you open one each day from December 1st to December 24th - which is when the Norwegians celebrate Christmas. His dad and he go to a bookstore and find a handmade calendar and there are small slips of paper with a story written. It's a story about the 5yo. In this version she starts following a little toy lamb that becomes real, and runs through Europe to Bethlehem and from 1945 to the year 0, to be by the manger at Jesus' birth. She meets several different characters during the journey, angels, shepherds, the three wise kings, etc. about one a day, and the stories are about small things that happen during the journey. It is fascinating that they were supposed to find a road that isn't too inhabited, but they go straight through Europe; Germany, Italy, Turkey - and not through Russia. I suppose that was so that Jostein could write about how Christianity spread over Europe, but backward - starting from the 1940s and ending in the 0000s. Anyway, it's like a frame story around a story around a story around a story... so many layers. But that's Jostein Gaarder for you. Anyway, this story is too Christian to me, but at the same time not enough. I don't get a feeling about the ages of the kids. Elisabet behaves like a much older person than 5, and the people treat her as a much older child. I mean, 5yo is a toddler! Joachim - I don't know how old he is, but he's also behaving as... older and younger. Sometimes he's like 5 and sometimes like 10 and sometimes like 15. Really hard to relate. And the parents! So what if the kid invents stories about real places? He could have heard the name on the television or something. How is that in any way alarming? How does that in any way warrant breaking his privacy and looking into his box? It doesn't. And the story isn't that amazing, either. I don't understand why the parents are so amazed and awed and keep talking about imagination and things. Sounds like Jostein Gaarder is tooting his own horn here. Really stupid and irritating.Anyway, the idea is great. Makes me want to have a countdown calendar like that, but with small dolls so that I could play the book with my kids from the 1st of December to Christmas and “walk” the characters from the bedroom to the creche. The story itself sucks though, so maybe I'll write something better myself and make us a countdown calendar like that.