Literature and Fiction · Paperback

The Marketplace

Norwegian title: Torget

Victoria Durnak

In Victoria Durnak’s second novel, unemployed gardener Elin decides to get in touch with people giving things away on classified ad website Finn.no. She offers to deliver the items to those who want them, and ushers in the winter season as an unpaid carrier.

A bookcase leaves bruises, an egg cup disappears and a stack of dishtowels sits innocuously in a white plastic bag. Almost everything ends up where it’s supposed to, but it’s unclear who’s helping whom. When Nora goes to pick up a poster for delivery, she sees that the poster guy has an album full of childhood photos of her best friend Siri. He demands something in return for it. Has Nora got anything that might tempt him?Objects and people of varying value circulate inTorget. Tables can mean more than glasses, objects more than events.