The Journey to the End of the World — Henning Mankell

Continuing Mankell's magical account of a boyhood spent in northern Sweden, Joel is fifteen and has left school, wanting to become a merchant sailor and travel far away from his home town in the north of Sweden. But first he must face up to the past and meet his mother who ran off when he was small. After such a long time, how will Joel and his dad cope with such a reunion, and will Joel ever sail the seas as he dreams?