Helga Flatland – författare

Shamed schoolteacher, Mathilde, moves to a dairy farm in the Norwegian countryside for an ‘easier life’, but she’s soon up to her old tricks … upending and unsettling the lives of two reclusive farmers.  Exquisitely written, razor-sharp and simmering with an unexpected tension, Toxic marks the return of one of Norway’s finest writers…  'Flatland has the gift that I most often covet in the work of other writers: the ability to make everyday events compelling … how the quietest existence can brim with urgency and drama' Ann Morgan  ‘Helga Flatland writes with elegance and subtle humour' Daily Express  ‘The author has been dubbed the Norwegian Anne Tyler and for good reason’ Good Housekeeping  ––––––––––––––  When Mathilde is forced to leave her teaching job in Oslo after her relationship with eighteen-year-old Jacob is exposed, she flees to the countryside for a more authentic life.  Her new home is a quiet cottage on the outskirts of a dairy farm run by Andres and Johs, whose hobbies include playing the fiddle and telling folktales – many of them about female rebellion and disobedience, and seeking justice, whatever it takes.  But beneath the apparently friendly and peaceful pastoral surface of life on the farm, something darker and more sinister starts to vibrate and, with Mathilde’s arrival, cracks start appearing … everywhere.  ––––––––––––Praise for Helga Flatland  ‘The most beautiful, elegant writing I’ve read in a long time’ Joanna Cannon  'Helga Flatland writes with such astuteness about families' Prima'I absolutely loved its quiet, insightful generosity' Claire King'So perceptive and clever' Rónán Hession  ‘Thoughtful and reflective' Observer  'A beautifully written, bittersweet, moving and poignant … a wise novel of great insight' NB Magazine  ‘Poignant and beautifully written … The prose and style, with the dialogue enveloped in the narrative, is intimate, evocative and moving’ Kristin Gleeson  'I love the sophistication, directness and tenderness of this book' Claire Dyer  ‘The most satisfying book that I've read in a long time … masterful' Sara Taylor‘A moving and exquisite read' Shelan Rodger

Efter fyrtio års äktenskap bestämmer sig Torill och Sverre för att skiljas. De är sjuttio år, nyblivna pensionärer och känner sig klara med familjeprojektet. Det gör inte deras tre vuxna barn: Liv, Ellen och Håkon. För dem är familjen på olika men högst påtagliga sätt ett centrum, själva grunden för deras värderingar, val och ambitioner. Ett födelsedagsfirande med hela familjen på semester i Italien blir starten på uppbrottet, och rutiner och rollfördelningar löses upp. När föräldrarna så går skilda vägar rycks marken undan för var och en av syskonen. Och balansen dem emellan förändras. Genom de tre syskonens olika ögon berättas en historia om tillhörighet, uppbrott och konsekvenser. Vad är egentligen en familj?

Efter fyrtio års äktenskap bestämmer sig Torill och Sverre för att skiljas. De är sjuttio år, nyblivna pensionärer och känner sig klara med familjeprojektet. Det gör inte deras tre vuxna barn: Liv, Ellen och Håkon. För dem är familjen på olika men högst påtagliga sätt ett centrum, själva grunden för deras värderingar, val och ambitioner. Ett födelsedagsfirande med hela familjen på semester i Italien blir starten på uppbrottet, och rutiner och rollfördelningar löses upp. När föräldrarna så går skilda vägar rycks marken undan för var och en av syskonen. Och balansen dem emellan förändras. Genom de tre syskonens olika ögon berättas en historia om tillhörighet, uppbrott och konsekvenser. Vad är egentligen en familj?

A family holiday creates unexpected drama when Liv, Ellen and Håkon’s elderly parents announce their decision to divorce. The Norwegian Anne Tyler makes her English debut in a beautiful, insightful and perceptive novel.***Winner of the Norwegian Booksellers’ Prize***___________________‘The most beautiful, elegant writing I’ve read in a long time. If you love Anne Tyler, you will ADORE this’ Joanna Cannon‘A thoughtful and reflective novel about parents, siblings and the complex – and often challenging – ties that bind them’ Hannah Beckerman, Observer‘I absolutely loved its quiet, insightful generosity’ Claire King___________________When Liv, Ellen and Håkon, along with their partners and children, arrive in Rome to celebrate their father’s seventieth birthday, a quiet earthquake occurs: their parents have decided to divorce.Shocked and disbelieving, the siblings try to come to terms with their parents’ decision as it echoes through the homes they have built for themselves, and forces them to reconstruct the shared narrative of their childhood and family history.A bittersweet novel of regret, relationships and rare insights, A Modern Family encourages us to look at the people closest to us a little more carefully, and ultimately reveals that it’s never too late for change…___________________‘The author has been dubbed the Norwegian Anne Tyler and for good reason. Three generations of a family head on a holiday to Italy to celebrate patriarch Sverre’s 70th birthday – but he and his wife have life-changing news to share. If you love books about dysfunctional families, you’ll love this’ Good Housekeeping‘As they rebuild their childhood memories, it’s telling that their perceptions of themselves and their family relationships are so dramatically different. In quiet prose, Helga Flatland writes with elegance and subtle humour to produce a shrewd and insightful examination of the psychology of family and of loss’ Daily Express‘I love the sophistication, directness and tenderness of this book’ Claire Dyer‘So perceptive and clever’ Rónán Hession‘This is a super exploration of families that I’d urge you to read for the subtle prose, with well defined characters and a strong storyline’ Sheila O’Reilly‘It is the most satisfying book that I’ve read in a long time, and the most clear-eyed, honest, yet sympathetic examination of relationships that I have ever read. The subtlety with which she portrays the inconsistencies between how the characters see each other versus how they see themselves is masterful’ Sara Taylor‘Reading Helga Flatland’s A Modern Family is like watching the sun rise on a cloudy horizon; light whispers and dances and breaks over the clouds. Layers of deliciously cumulative insight – a moving and exquisite read’ Shelan Rodger‘A beautifully written novel, bittersweet, moving and poignant … a wise novel of great insight’ New Books Magazine‘Flatland has the gift that I most often covert in the work of other writers: the ability to make everyday events compelling … an utterly compelling and satisfying read. It reminds us how full and rich life is, how the quietest existence can brim with urgency and drama’ Ann Morgan‘A novel that prods and provokes … fascinating, incredibly profound, yet somehow tender, this really does encourage an exploration of a modern family’ LoveReading

Anne’s diagnosis of terminal cancer shines a spotlight onto fractured relationships with her daughter and granddaughter, with surprising, heart-warming results. A moving, elegant and warmly funny novel by the Norwegian Anne Tyler.‘Helga Flatland writes with such astuteness … Her portrayal of a fractured family trying to cope through emotional personal circumstances was perfect. I devoured this in two sittings and was overwhelmed with feelings for the characters’ Nina Pottell, Prima  ‘Sometimes you simply don’t have words to express the beauty and experience of a book – this is one of them’ Louise Beech_______________Anne’s life is rushing to an unexpected and untimely end. But her diagnosis of terminal cancer isn’t just a shock for her – and for her daughter Sigrid and granddaughter Mia – it shines a spotlight onto their fractured and uncomfortable relationships.On a spur-of-the moment trip to France the three generations of women reveal harboured secrets, long-held frustrations and suppressed desires, and learn humbling and heart-warming lessons about how life should be lived when death is so close.With all of Helga Flatland’s trademark humour, razor-sharp wit and deep empathy, One Last Time examines the great dramas that can be found in ordinary lives, asks the questions that matter to us all – and ultimately celebrates the resilience of the human spirit, in an exquisite, enchantingly beautiful novel that urges us to treasure and rethink … everything.For fans of Elena Ferrante, Maggie O’Farrell, Mike Gayle, Joanna Cannon, Sally Rooney and Carol Shields._______________‘The most beautiful, elegant writing I’ve read in a long time. If you love Anne Tyler, you will ADORE this’ Joanna Cannon‘Flatland is hailed as “the Norwegian Anne Tyler”, but, for me, she writes like Flatland, which is more than good enough’ Saga  ‘A poignant and beautifully written story ... intimate, evocative and moving’ Kristin Gleeson  ‘Helga Flatland possesses a pen made from fluent wisdom, subtle humour and elegance’ Carol Lovekin‘Absolutely loved its quiet, insightful generosity’ Claire King  'So perceptive and clever' Rónán Hession‘A thoughtful and reflective novel about parents, siblings and the complex – and often challenging – ties that bind them’ Hannah Beckerman, Observer‘This is a super exploration of families that I’d urge you to read for the subtle prose, with well defined characters and a strong storyline’ Sheila O’Reilly‘Love the sophistication, directness and tenderness of this book’ Claire Dyer‘The most clear-eyed, honest, yet sympathetic examination of relationships that I have ever read’ Sara Taylor‘The author has been dubbed the Norwegian Anne Tyler and for good reason … If you love books about dysfunctional families, you’ll love this’ Good Housekeeping‘In quiet prose, Helga Flatland writes with elegance and subtle humour to produce a shrewd and insightful examination of the psychology of family and of loss’ Daily Express

Sigrid ist Ärztin, lebt in Oslo, in der Großstadt. Bloß weg vom Dorf, wo sie aufwuchs und den körperlichen Verfall ihres Vaters beobachten mußte, dachte sie damals, als sie mit Mia schwanger war. Deren Vater Jens, ebenfalls Arzt, verließ sie noch vor der Geburt.Mit dem handfesten Aslak beginnt sie ein neues Leben. Und dann taucht plötzlich Jens auf, will Zeit mit Mia verbringen, und Sigrid wird von ihren widersprüchlichen Gefühlen ihm gegenüber aus der Bahn geworfen. Doch noch mehr als das lähmt sie die Nachricht, daß ihre Mutter Anne Krebs hat. Das Verhältnis zu ihr ist alles andere als einfach. Weder Sigrid noch Anne finden eine Sprache, ihre Gefühle zu offenbaren. Zuviel ist in der Vergangenheit passiert, zu oft hat sich Sigrid von der Mutter vernachlässigt und übergangen gefühlt. Und so unterdrücken Tochter wie Mutter zunächst ihre spontanen Impulse und blicken scheinbar hilflos der sich abzeichnenden Katastrophe entgegen. Finden sie einen Ausweg, oder werden sie wieder aneinander scheitern? Helga Flatland zeichnet dieses Familienporträt so schnörkellos und aus wechselnden Perspektiven, wie man es bereits aus ihrem vorigen Roman »Eine moderne Familie« kennt. Sie läßt sich auf ihre Figuren empathisch ein, respektiert aber auch ihre Freiheiten. Und vor allem: Sie urteilt nicht. Denn es kommt ja nicht darauf an, wer woran wann schuld war, sondern einzig darauf: Wie machen wir weiter?

Eine ganz normale norwegische Familie: Mama, Papa, die erwachsenen Kinder Liv, Ellen und Håkon und die Enkel Agnar und Hedda. Alle gehen ihren interessanten Berufen nach, verstehen sich gut. Feiern gemeinsam die Feste des Jahres. Treffen sich sonntags mit ihren zum Teil wechselnden Partnern zum Essen bei den Eltern. Im Sommer verbringt man Zeit in der Familien-Hütte in den Bergen.Und dann das: Am siebzigsten Geburtstag von Papa verkünden die Eltern, daß sie sich scheiden lassen wollen. Plötzlich ist nichts mehr, wie es war. Wie in einem Mikado-Spiel, bei dem ein herausgezogenes Stäbchen die Balance zum Einsturz bringen kann, bricht die Familienidylle zusammen, es gibt scheinbar keinen sicheren Boden mehr. Auch das Leben der Kinder gerät in profunde Unordnung. Erzählt wird diese spannende Geschichte über die Untiefen des Familienlebens abwechselnd von Liv, Ellen und Håkon. Durch diesen Kunstgriff gewinnt der Roman einen einzigartigen Perspektivenreichtum und zeichnet konturscharf das Bild moderner Menschen und ihrer Kämpfe, Verletzungen und Träume.