"I saw a copy of Pan in the bookstore, and I sort of liked the art on the cover, and I did really enjoy Hunger, so I was definitely willing to give Knut Hamsun another shot.
Pan is about this man who kind of goes off into the woods for a hunting season to live in this cabin and just sort of be by himself and ends up embroiled in some kind of romantic drama with this lady and the surrounding community; and it's just sort of about his struggle to be by himself and be happy and then also getting wrapped up in her.
I believe that the protagonist is supposed to be � there's some kind of parallel between him and Pan. Pan is I believe half-man, half-beast; and so it's sort of like him and his instincts in nature and in the wild and also his very human capacity for romance. I think it deals really well with the most frustrating aspect of love and romance. It's a frustrating book and it doesn't really have a happy ending or things don't exactly work out neatly.
The book ends, and then there's this sort of bizarre epilogue that kind of comes out of nowhere. There was something about the epilogue that I found a little bit corny, but with this book, and with any a translation, I'm always hesitant to judge the writing as corny because you're also subject to the translator's opinion.
I would recommend this book to people who enjoy hearing about the fickleness of romance. I would give Pan 4 stars."