Tamangur

Tamangur is the first novel by Leta Semadeni, a poet who writes in Romansh. It takes its name from an ancient stone pine forest in a remote valley of the Engadin Alps. In the book the forest is more than a backdrop. It is a mystical place, a kind of Valhalla for hunters and their kin, where the living come close to the world of the dead.

The story is told in eighty-four interlocking vignettes. At its center is an unnamed girl, called only 'the child', and her grandmother, who share their grief. The girl has lost her beloved grandfather and her younger brother. She believes she caused her brother's death, and her parents have abandoned her because of it.

Their small village is full of eccentric people. Elsa loves the absent Elvis, a seamstress steals other people's memories, a chimney sweep broods, and a goat is rude. Together they form a makeshift family that softens the blows of fate with their odd charm.

Semadeni writes in clear, evocative prose that mixes the poignant with the absurd. The novel is an exploration of loss, memory and the fragile ties between people.