Narrating the Difficult : A Study of Literary Strategies in Annika Thor’s A Faraway Island

This thesis analyzes how Annika Thor uses language, narrative perspective and literary techniques to make themes such as war, evil and loss accessible to young readers in A Faraway Island (En ö i havet, 1996). Children’s literature can offer a safe space for engaging with difficult experiences related to conflict, displacement and trauma. Focusing on internal focalization, restrained language and the use of everyday details, the essay demonstrates how Thor conveys traumatic experiences without graphic description. The consistent child perspective allows young readers to engage emotionally while maintaining narrative distance. Abstract historical events are concretized though domestic settings and close relationships, and retrospective narration further supports an empathetic understanding of trauma. The thesis identifies narrative strategies that may serve as model for future children’s literature addressing complex and sensitive themes.