Chapter 8 Summary

Thorfinn returns to the deserted island of Norday after his release from a German prison camp, where he has spent most of the war living with other prisoners in Stalag 29B. Norday is now deserted and Thorfinn has chosen to return despite the ruined state that the island is in. Its fertile farmlands are destroyed by concrete and all of the houses are abandoned and in various states of decay. Even the hippies who lived here briefly are unable to take up permanent residence on the island. During their stay, they break off pieces of wood from village buildings and from the bar of the Inn, to use as firewood during the cold winters. When he returns, Thorfinn sets himself up in an old hut by the beach, taking over the place where Jimmo Greenay, the beachcomber, had lived. Supplies and mail are...