Fine By Me by Per Petterson books
William Leith22 November 2012
It’s Fine By Me
by Per Petterson
(Vintage, £7.99)
Per Petterson was born in 1952, so he’d have been 18 in 1970, when this story is set. The hero, Audon, is also 18. He’s a teenager having an existential crisis. He’s cool, and also incredibly sensitive. He’s into Jimi Hendrix but does a paper round. He wears Wrangler jeans. He wants to be a writer. His best friend is politically active — Vietnam is raging. But Audon is struggling with his own emotions. He gets off with a girl but cringes when she says she might love him. He’s tormented by the thought of his drunken father. He feels hurt when his mother gets a new boyfriend. The detail is perfect; the emotions are raw and beautifully conveyed.
