I have probably read this small novella out of context and desperately want to, now, read the other four in The Wisdom Tree series. This simply written story got under my skin. The main character Knut, pronounced Noot, was indeed a gentle giant who, abruptly, had his life changed after a night of celebration. As a teenager his friend Paul looked on him as a hero, in later life, when they meet again at a writer's festival, Paul becomes acquainted with the broken life and the man his giant has become. ( )