Literature and Fiction · Hardback

Thirty Days In Sandefjord

Norwegian title: Tredve dager i Sandefjord

Vigdis Hjorth

Vigdis Hjorth constantly renews herself, now with a new novel. Recently, Hjorth has received glowing reviews for her recent novel Talk to me, and the highly prestigious Gyldendal Prize 2011 for her authorship in its entirety, as well as enjoying the terrific success of the film based on her classic story for young people Jørgen + Anne is true. In Thirty days in Sandefjord, she investigates the psychic states generated by being held captive: the woman at the centre of her novel has a one-month prison sentence. The writing illuminates the exceptional, strange and almost absurd condition of 'being inside' and analyses the effects it has on this resourceful woman. She compares it to returning to childhood, to being ten years old once more and the new girl in the class: how you respond by keeping a very low profile, accepting humiliation, withdrawing. As part of what the author shows to be the practical results of punishment, her protagonist feels put under guardianship, infantilised. The tone of the storytelling is both direct and literary, and the narrative offers unforgettable portraits of other prisoners. This is a challenging, thought-provoking account of how a Norwegian prison for women is perceived by those inside it.