It’s approaching the time of year when, under normal circumstances, holidays would be on the horizon. This week, we bring you our stay-at-home summer reading selection from Norway, for comfort and relaxation wherever you’ve chosen to hang your hammock this season.
Berge
For those who like their sunshine tempered by Nordic noir, we would recommend Jan Kjærstad’s Berge, translated by Janet Garton. One August day in 2008 a Norwegian Labour Party MP is discovered in a remote cabin in the country, together with four of his family and friends, all with their throats slit…
Read taster extracts presenting different perspectives on the case, before progressing to the full investigation – you can order your copy here.
Little Lord
Nostalgic for summers past, when one could still attend social functions? We suggest Johan Borgen’s Little Lord, translated by Janet Garton. Wilfred – the eponymous Little Lord – is a privileged young man growing up in upper-class society in Kristiania (Oslo) during the halcyon days before the First World War. Beneath his charming demeanour, however, runs a darker current; he is haunted by the sudden death of his father and driven to escape the stifling care of his mother for risky adventures in Kristiania’s criminal underworld. The two sides of his personality must be kept separate, but the strain of living a double life threatens breakdown and catastrophe…
Dip your toes by reading the first few pages, or order your copy here.
Lobster Life
For a whimsical read with heart and an unforgettable protagonist, seek no further than Erik Fosnes Hansen’s Lobster Life, translated by Janet Garton. It serves up all the best bits of a beach read – hotel life, excursions, even a budding holiday romance. Be prepared to fall out of your hammock laughing, and crying (lobsters do have claws, after all…)