Just a Mother

The fourth novel in a historical series that began with the International Booker-shortlisted The Unseen

After a long journey through Norway, Ingrid has finally returned to Barroy. Life has become more stable, but the war still casts its long shadows across the country. Former collaborators face cold shoulders or obscured retaliation. Others simply wish to leave the painful years in the past.

One day a boy arrives on the island. Shortly thereafter, his father disappears. Ingrid assumes responsibility for the boy, and adopts him. As such, Mathias becomes a central part of the Barroy community, together with Kaja, Ingrid's daughter by birth.

Life on the island is demanding, but the letters from friends in Oslo and Trondheim tell of a Norwegian society undergoing dramatic changes. Which stories should Ingrid keep to herself, and which ones should she bring to light? What kind of future is she imagining?

Translated from the Norwegian by Don Bartlett and Don Shaw