Beside the Ocean of Time Study Guide

As the novel opens, we are introduced to Thorfinn Ragnarson, the central character in the novel. Thorfinn is thought of as lazy and idle by the townspeople, particularly by the red-faced and impatient school teacher, Mr. Simon. The novel opens with this line: "Of all the useless boys who ever went to Norday school, the laziest and most useless was Thorfinn Ragnarson" (p. 1). The story is set some time in the mid 1930s, though the author does not specify this at the beginning of the novel. Thorfinn lives with his father Matthew, who is a crofter (a tenant farmer) and his three sisters: Inga, Sigrid and Ragna. The first chapter also introduces Isa Estquoy and several other village women, who gather at the general store and post office where Isa works. The village women share news and their o... (read more)