Fiction

Mistletoe

Elisabeth Hammer / Kjetil Nystuen

Hellfire

Karin Fossum

A rusty old caravan sits in a forest grove. The door is open and a four or five year old child lies inside. The child's body has been chopped into pieces and is nearly drained of blood. An adult woman, presumably the child's mother, lies on a sofa, also stabbed to death.This is brutal even for Konrad Sejer. The deceased are Connie, who works as home help for the elderly, and Simon, her son. There are many characters in this book, but the central figures are Connie and Simon as well as Mamma Mass and her 21-yearold son Eddie. Both are single mothers not in contact with the fathers of their children. As Connie works as home help, we also encounter many other people and their destinies in the homes she visits. The author switches deftly between chapters set in 2004 and chapters set in 2005, or rather, before and after the murders. This increases the tension, and the reader is able to participate in solving the mystery of who the killer is. There are many clues leading in different directions. Helvetesilden deals with topics such as poverty in a wealthy Norway, the situation of the elderly and the absence of a father. But above all it makes for very exciting reading. ‘Helvetesilden is one of Karin Fossum’s best crime stories. … In her writing, Fossum expertly captures the nuances of everyday life and the way in which living people struggle to make sense of life. She does it with a subdued tone and an unwavering dedication to her characters. … In Helvetesilden, the story approaches a point which is heartbreaking rather than thrilling. This novel shows that Karin Fossum is in a class of her own as a crime writer.’DAGSAVISEN ‘Here she delivers what must be one of her most penetrating and moving novels. An author at the height of her creative ability. … The composition is almost a stroke of genius in itself, as for a long time we are at a complete loss as to how Fossum intends to fuse the parallel storylines. … The way she does it demonstrates both her mastery of her trade and her formidable ability to portray tormented minds without diminishing them through inconsequential platitudes about insanity and other dissociative diagnoses.’AFTENPOSTEN ‘The opening scene showcases Fossum at her best – the dank camper van, the heat and the brutal murders. The detailed, subdued tone; the grotesque in the middle of the everyday.’DAGBLADET ‘A really high-grade crime novel should delve deep into human motivation, both that of the main characters and the supporting characters, so that the hero and antagonist are not merely presented in black and white. And not least, the language should be functional, precise and efficient. There are not many people who write like this within the extensive crime genre. Karin Fossum is one of few who can. She writes high-quality crime of the best, international standard. She has now focused her attention on a novel which, in my opinion, has to be one of her very best. It is called Helvetesilden. So disturbing, riveting and painful that you can’t help but be drawn in.’TØNSBERG BLAD ‘And just like Ibsen, Fossum’s use of language is beautiful - precise, expertly calling to mind images without ever employing a single superfluous word… it is a sheer joy to reunite with old companions Sejer and Skarre ... Their best attributes are put to the test, and yet again they pass with flying colours. The same can be said for Karin Fossum.’DRAMMENS TIDENDE ‘Intricate and surprising.’VARDEN‘Karin Fossum is the most literary of the Norwegian crime writers ... The novel is skilfully composed, and several of the characters from Helvetesilden will remain with the reader long after the final page has been turned.’ADRESSEAVISEN‘Karin Fossum has mastered the art of describing the exhausting everyday lives of individuals. We come to understand how a monstrous double-murder can occur, and Fossum writes with a wonderful and affectionate eye for detail and the bonds that connect people.’OPPLAND ARBEIDERBLAD‘It is a joy to observe the weaving together of the three parallel stories contained within the novel - the author is in her element in this respect. The way in which she describes the crime and that which is hidden in the shadow of madness reveals an empathetic logic from which many members of society can learn a great deal. Karin Fossum is truly a writer unlike all others.’TRØNDER-AVISA‘The tight focus on the protagonists and the tempting darkness lurking beneath the surface makes this no typical tale of murder and police investigation. Instead, this is a story of human destiny, buried history and painful feelings that grip the reader and refuse to let go until long after the book has ended.’TELEMARKSAVISA‘Helvetesilden is a strong sequel to Fossum’s earlier psychological novels - glittering prose situated within a framework that both fascinates and inspires the reader.’GJENGANGEREN‘Yet again, Karin Fossum delivers an impressive piece of work - one would expect no less...’LO-MEDIA

The Gates of Hell

Hilde Lindset

Thematically, Helvetesporten looks at Rodin's sculpture of the same name. In these three short stories we meet artists who are at a crucial point in their lives, both artistically and in their interpersonal relationships. In one of the stories we meet Rodin himself, who takes in a young Rainer Maria Rilke to assist him in his work with the sculpture. Hilde Lindset's second book is a powerful collection of short stories!

The Burnt-Out Town of Miracles

Roy Jacobsen

"... everyone has the right to be complete in their own life, even the lame and the blind, or, with a little help, those with a crater in their face. Where would we be without a little help?"When the Finns burn down and flee from the small town of Suomussalmi before the Russians come in November 1939, one man stays behind. The hewer, Timmo Vatanen Timmo, has lived in Suomussalmi all his life and cannot live anywhere else. And one man has to defend the ruins and do the right thing, even though it seems like an impossible task and will do nothing to help him to make friends. The Burnt-Out Town of Miracles is a gripping existential novel about seven men who have to carry the load together, about wood and warmth and a pair of ladies shoes and about the words, "thank you." Shortlisted for the IMPAC award in 2009. 'Once again Roy Jacobsen has delivered a beautiful piece of writing.'AFTENPOSTEN 'Roy Jacobsen is a fantastic story teller. He has a simple and unpretentious style; sensitive without being sentimental, masculine without showing off ... Not to mention his ability to create great psychological portraits.'DAGBLADET 'Roy Jacobsen’s new novel is economically cut, enigmatic and ambiguous. And utterly well written.'VG 'Roy Jacobsen has written a thin novel with regard to number of pages. As for the content, this is one of the most pregnant novels I remember having read.'KLASSEKAMPEN 'Jacobsen has an almost magical ability to draw up a believable and original sketch of a character within a couple of lines, so that one remembers this character, and never has any doubts about it. All seems real and authentic.'DAG OG TID 'At the end of The Burnt-Out Town of Miracles the main character thinks to himself that one day he will find someone who can tell his story. He could hardly hope for a better story teller than Roy Jacobsen.'VÅRT LAND 'Being one of our best prose writers, his books are a delight to read. The same goes for his mini novel The Burnt-Out Town of Miracles.'TØNSBERGS BLAD '... a powerful and well-written account of an unfamiliar episode in the Second World War.'TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT, UK 'The electric power in Jacobsen’s rugged narrative style is generated by what happens beneath the surface, the way feelings and thoughts diverge and converge, and words and actions come into being. Jacobsen’s motive force comes from the same place: all of a sudden something has happened, something unclear, almost mysterious, yet full of meaning, not to say fateful, and the perspective has slightly shifted. It is a suggestive effect which always makes me both confused and uneasy, and that is precisely how great literature should creep up on you. Read the book. It’s an order. Now I have to go out, chop wood, get warm and feel like a hero.'SVENSKA DAGBLADET, Sweden 'The new novel The Burnt-Out Town of Miracles ... is a thought-provoking saga about wood, war and male friendship. … And amid all the freezing temperatures, which cause tears to go black and the human heart to petrify, there is a rare narrative tale of warmth, a thought-provoking saga about wood and war and male friendship, about how human compassion can exist through the fury of battle and express itself in everyday actions and in an economy of words. It is about the greatness of the individual – and the smallness. … In his restrained, fastidious style, without the slightest hint of sentimentality, Jacobsen draws a portrait of the intelligent (on the sly) oddball who is as moving as he is enigmatic.'SYDSVENSKAN, Sweden 'The universality of Jacobsen’s novel is self-evident as we all at some time will see our greatness flicker and die in the winds of time. Jacobsen has simply made the image of this drama so much clearer; allowed it to stand out in black against the white forests.'DAGENS NYHETER, Sweden 'This beautiful little novel is a poetic take on an intriguing bit of history.'SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, Australia

ICE SCORCH

Kjersti Kollbotn

Knut and Sissel, a couple in their forties, move from a city in Eastern Norway to a smallholding in Western Norway to start a new and more natural life. Knut's great dream is to live as one with animals and nature. Physical labour and closeness to nature will make him stronger in body and mind.However, he also has to take a part-time job in the municipality's building and planning department to earn a living. And, as it turns out, it's not that easy to run a farm using old methods such as a horse and cart. Not least the water freezing in the winter poses a challenge. Slowly but surely the problems in Knut and Sissel's relationship float to the surface: Knut has a daughter from a previous relationship and doesn't want more children, but Sissel's biological clock is ticking.Kjersti Kollbotn's story of two people's struggle to find their place in the world is unsentimental yet insightful. ‘Kollbotn is exploring a serious theme. She does not only point out that men are also bullied, downtrodden and that they also feel excluded in today’s society, she follows the main character and paints a convincing and apparently truthful picture of him. Kjersti Kollbotn has once again succeeded in making way for new insight into how complex cohabitation and relationships between men and women can be – even from a man’s point of view.’NORDLYS‘Kjersti Kollbotn writes well and precisely. She understands her material and its environment, the mentality of the people and the nature in a west-coast village.’DAG OG TID

I’VE TRIED MAKING FRIENDS WITH ANIMALS

Kjersti Bjørkmo

Kjersti Bjørkmo debuts with the poetry collection Jeg har prøvd å bli venn med dyrene. Here we're dealing with a very gifted poet. A surprising and strong use of imagery characterises Kjersti's poems. When used to explore classic themes such as loneliness, alienation, memories and so on, the poems expand and give a nostalgic sense of poetic delight.

Jerngrep

Willy Ustad

Som eneste arving til en storgård har Eyvind Bolt en lysende fremtid. Men da han nekter å bøye seg for Kirkens krav, ønsker den mektige biskop Armand ham død. Eyvind flykter til fjells. Mens han er på tjuvjakt, treffer han en kvinne som er like god med buen som ham selv. Eyvind kan ikke ta blikket fra henne. Han får ikke vite hvem hun er eller hva hun heter, og da hun går sin vei, tror Eyvind at han aldri vil se henne igjen. Biskopens menn er etter ham, og samtidig er en enda farligere fiende på vei. Året er 1349, og en grusom pest sprer seg raskt.

Kaperens datter

Berit Elisabeth Sandviken

En varm vårdag i 1813 er Ambrosia Holmsdatter på vei til Eidsvoll sammen med moren og søsknene sine. Europa er herjet av krig, og i Norge er nøden stor. Ambrosias far er død, og familien må ta farvel med et liv i velstand i byen. Nå venter en ny tilværelse på gården Tråkka, der morens halvbror Hugo Trampe ønsker dem velkommen. Ambrosia blir snart virvlet inn i både dramatikk og kjærlighet, og hun skjønner at de som står henne nær, bærer på mange hemmeligheter. Akkurat da Ambrosia fikk lirket seg løs, skar et uhyggelig skrik gjennom støv og solstrimer. Så oppdaget Hugo hva hun holdt på med og ble hvitere enn kalk. «Hva er det du finner på, jente?» ropte han og kastet seg fram. «Du må ikke finne på å gå inn der, Rosi. Han Melvin kommer til å … Aldri, for guds skyld. Kom deg ned med en eneste gang!»

The Caractères.

Thomas Lundbo

Karakterer. Etter La Bruyère is loosely based on the French classic Les Caractères by Jean de La Bruyère (1645–1696), which was in itself a continuation of Teofrast's (around 371–287 BC) Characters. In Thomas Lundbo's version, the future is used to reflect our time as a kind of reversed science fiction. It contains a few direct translations from La Bruyère's texts, and also develops some ideas discussed in La Bruyère's book. However, this collection for the most part comprises original texts.Karakterer. Etter La Bruyère contains portraits of different 'characters' or types of people, small short story-like tales, aphoristic reflections on the historic development and characteristics of our time, reflections on morality, society and modern life in general. ‘Karakterer. Etter La Bruyère is a non-traditional work. Bold as regards the choice of an old form, but linguistically readable and very clever. The texts allow room for reflection and contemplation, and are ideal for reading in chunks.’5 out of 5TØNSBERG BLAD ‘A playful, self-ironic and invigorating text about how and how quickly we “recreate” ourselves. The masks and fashions change so quickly that a “bohemian” becomes an “amateur” and then more or less “passé” in the space of nine lines. And we get the point. Well done, Lundbo.’KLASSEKAMPEN‘I’m having trouble thinking of another Norwegian publication in recent years that might be more aptly described as a “cornucopia”. While reading I sometimes wondered whether it was the qualities of the original that made it seem so fresh or whether Lundbo’s style was simply coming into its own in this form – but it doesn’t really matter. Put simply, we are all compositions or products of our own time, but also of times gone by. Lundbo dresses up in the finery of old, but not without an eye for what is new. Character literature in full regalia.’MORGENBLADET

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE

Håkon Øvreås

In Kjærlighet er den Ting, we follow a couple from their first whirlwind romance to their more trivial everyday lives but always with faith, hope and love. Øvreås' straightforward and simple language makes for fun and rewarding reading. Partly explicit, partly heartfelt, never boring.