Reviews

A House in Norway by Vigdis Hjorth

illustrated_librarian's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

abby_writes's review against another edition

4.0

A Norwegian textile artist rents her in-law apartment out to a Polish family and, while this doesn't sound steeped in intensity, the book itself is very tightly wound. Through the exploration of her art and identity as 'Norwegian,' particularly a liberal Norwegian, Alma constantly analyzes how she relates to her immigrant tenants. Through their small, years long interactions, the author touches on subjects such as implicit bias, racial stereotyping, and how to create idealistic art when you yourself are not living by those same terms. Really insightful and well-written / translated.

tmjames's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kay_ampersand's review against another edition

I can't decide what this book is - either a super racist and stereotypical story or a story about the growth of a racist who overcomes prejudice...

hannebo's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

rmtbray's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

literarywanderess's review

challenging informative slow-paced

3.75

rudi's review against another edition

3.0

Dette er en fin roman om kunstneren Alma som er blitt huseier, og leier ut en leilighet til et polsk par. Boka følger Almas liv, men omtrent kun det som gjelder hennes forhold til huset. Hennes kjærlighetsliv og familieliv er kun relevant i den grad det kan knyttes til huset hennes, eller hennes leietakere. Dette fungerer overraskende bra, så bra at man ofte ikke tenker på at det vi får se er bare én (stadig voksende) side ved Almas liv.

Mest spennende er nok forholdet mellom Alma og hennes leietakere. Uten at jeg vil gå detalj på hva som skjer her, er det verdt å nevne at boka klarer å ta opp hvordan det er å være polsk i Norge uten å bytte synsvinkel eller fjerne fokus fra Alma. Hvordan de to "kulturene" møtes kommer utelukkende frem gjennom Almas handlinger, vurderinger og fordommer. Særlig de sistnevnte fordommene spiller en sentral rolle.