Will and Testament: a novel by Vigdis Hjorth

Will and Testament: a novel

Vigdis Hjorth

This isn't a book that will keep you up till the wee hours of the morning, hotly anticipating the next page. However, it is a slow burner: brooding, dark, complicated and full of raw emotion, denial and dark memories. The story starts with a simple premise - an estranged family, a will and the distribution of the summerhouses. It ends on a very different note - one of hope, honesty and reconciliation.

Extract
Asa gave the eulogy and said that Dad had loved Mum. I think she was right about that, that Dad had loved Mum, given how furious Dad would get whenever he doubted that he was loved back by Mum, given how furious Dad would get whenever he thought he doubted that he was loved back by Mum, given how furious Dad would get whenever he thought he detected signs of a lack of devotion from Mum, and how furious he would get if Mum rejected him sexually or in other ways, Dad loved Mum to the extent that he hated and got furious with Mum and all other women, anyone female, if he felt rejected by Mum, Dad was so vulnerable in his relationship with Mum that he reacted with rage and aggression whenever he felt rejected by her.
Parallels
  • A House in Norway by Vigadis Hjorth and Charlotte Barslund
  • Unquiet by Linn Ullmann
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Violence
Explicit sexual content