A House in Norway
ABOUT
THE BOOK
A House in Norway tells the story of Alma, a divorced textile artist who makes a living from weaving standards for trade unions and marching bands. She lives alone in an old villa, and rents out an apartment in her house to supplement her income. She is overjoyed to be given a more creative assignment, to design a tapestry for an exhibition to celebrate the centenary of women’s suffrage in Norway, but soon finds that it is a much more daunting task than she had anticipated. Meanwhile, a Polish family moves into her apartment, and their activities become a challenge to her unconscious assumptions and her self-image as a good feminist and an open-minded liberal. Is it possible to reconcile the desire to be tolerant and altruistic with the imperative need for creative and personal space?
ABOUT
THE TRANSLATOR Charlotte
Barslund
Charlotte Barslund is a translator of Scandinavian plays and novels. Her translation of Calling Out For You by Karin Fossum was nominated for the Crime Writer’s Association Gold Dagger award, while her translation of I Curse the River of Time by Per Petterson was shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction award.
Charlotte Barslund is a translator of Scandinavian plays and novels. Her translation of Calling Out For You by Karin Fossum was nominated for the Crime Writer’s Association Gold Dagger award, while her translation of I Curse the River of Time by Per Petterson was shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction award.
NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS
This intriguing novel forces its reader to review his or her own views and values.
This book explores the conflict between having empathy in theory, and showing actual compassion in real life. It’s a critique of the rich Norwegian society and the way they treat their foreign workers; written in a both funny and gripping fashion.