Eivind Hofstad Evjemo

The Last Thing You Will See Is a Loving Face

Practically an entire community is described in The Last Thing You Will See Is A Loving Face. Even the floor in a gymnasium is given its own tiny chapter. The narrative focuses on a family: Roy and his son Aksel are the leading characters, together with Kjersti, who is an advocate for the handicapped school pupil Siri. We share their day to day lives as the quiet drama unfolds in a community sheltered by the newly-rich Norwegian state.
Roy, as father of a family, is uncertain about his role; he is older than his wife and, as we follow him in several situations, we watch him try to find confirmation that he is seen, that he matters and has personal worth. Being with his two children makes no difference: he cannot reach them, neither emotionally nor socially. Another major part of the plot is Kjersti’s life: the demands made on her by special needs children and her attempts to initiate a kind of romance with the taxi driver Morgan.