‘Perhaps. But my mother married Paul when I was five and, as far as I know, they were happy together,’ he said.

‘Good for her,’ Petter said with a smile.

Without Jack noticing, they had arrived at a gate. Petter pointed towards a farm with a scattering of buildings. ‘That’s Olav and Sigrid’s place. It’s a bit more isolated than our side of the island, but it’s nice, yes? It’s smaller than your farm, actually.’

Jack spotted a paddock where a couple of children were riding on a donkey. Frikk barked at them, so he knew Ninni was there.

The buildings were set back: a white house, a red barn that looked like it had fallen apart and a few smaller outbuildings on the side. On the other side there was a sandy beach with a boathouse, a pier and two rowing boats bobbing in the water.

‘Most visitors to the island come to this side as the beach on our side isn’t sandy. But we’ll see our fair share of summer guests in a week or so,’ Petter said.

‘Doesn’t the beach belong to the farm?’

‘Technically, yes, but because of the allemannsretten, everyone can use it. They do have to stay outside the farm’s fences and cultivated fields.’

‘How so?’ Jack wasn’t sure what allemannsretten was, although he remembered seeing the word on an Ikea package of meatballs at some point.

‘It means anyone can use the beach. You can’t sunbathe on someone’s pier but, apart from that, it’s for everyone. It’s to make sure that rich people don’t hog all the best outdoor areas,’ Petter said with a wide grin. ‘Unfortunately, this common right is under pressure in parts of the country, but we do our best to defend it here. We want people to feel welcome.’

‘That sounds nice,’ Jack said.

Petter opened the first gate and closed it behind them. ‘Yes, it is, but it comes with a few rules. Always close gates, don’t light fires close to houses or in the fields, take your rubbish with you and always make sure you stay on uncultivated land. So you can’t camp in a crop field or where there’s livestock, or in someone’s garden.’

‘And do people abide by these rules?’ Jack wasn’t sure how they could ensure that.

‘Yes, of course.’ Petter looked surprised at the idea. ‘There are always a few bastards who think they don’t have to be considerate of other people, but those are the exceptions.’

Jack couldn’t see any rubbish anywhere, so perhaps Petter was right. Although he had also seen Ninni picking plastic bottles off the beach.

‘And what do you do if someone doesn’t follow the rules? If kids throw a huge party on the beach? Do you make them walk the plank? Throw them out to sea?’

‘Nah, usually we talk to them. Make them see sense, and if they’re too drunk to go back to the mainland we let them sleep it off in one of the boathouses or on the beach. We’re not pirates out here, you know. Not any more,’ he said with a wide grin.