The Orange Girl

The Orange Girl

By Jostein Gaarder

Phoenix, $140

Classic Jostein Gaarder, The Orange Girl is a simple tale of wonder and magic with a bit of philosophy thrown in. The protagonists are 15-year-old Georg and his father, who comes to life in a letter discovered 11 years after his death. Jan Olav is 19 when he succumbs to cancer and is angry that he won't live to see his son grow up. In the missive to his only child, he tells of how he met Georg's mother, the girl of the title (she was carrying a huge bag of oranges the first time he saw her). He also marvels about the simple things taken for granted and subtly coaxes his son to live life to the full. Gaarder first came to prominence with Sophie's World, a best-selling novel about the history of philosophy. Like Sophie's World, The Orange Girl straddles the teenage and adult market. It's also alike in the way it asks big questions in a non-confrontational way. A detraction is the language. Translated into English from Norwegian, the prose is stilted at best, and odd at worst. It's a small quibble, however, for those who like fairytales that make you think.