Heidi Linde
This is Norway

In a hotel in Skien, far away from his wife and children, a man is doing his best to be happy about not having cancer. 300 kilometers further north, in Lillehammer, his mother-in-law is trying to figure out who she will be, now that her alcoholic husband has finally decided to stop drinking. In Sogndal an adult son is looking for a nursing home for his mother. In Trondheim a seven year old girl is struggling to find her place in a foster home. A pregnant couple in Jessheim gets a routine offer of prenatal diagnostics, while an employee of the Norwegian public welfare agency is unable to enjoy her holiday because she feels so sorry for everybody else.

This is the story of Norway, about the foot soldiers of the welfare state. About their dreams, disappointments and shortcomings, and about their deeply human longing to be a rock for others.

Heidi Linde

Heidi Linde (born 1973) is a genuinely talented writer, and writes a warm, yet vivid prose about characters that will touch your heart.

She has been a rising star since her debut novel Under the Table (2002) made it to the main selection in Norway’s major book club, but her big breakthrough came with her third novel, Yes, We Can! (2011), which had fantastic reviews and sold more than 25 000 copies in Norway. Her last novel, This is Norway (2015), has also gotten amazing reviews.

She is also one of few plot driven women writers to traverse the gender gap; the reviewers obviously see her as a writer for both men and women (and compare her to giants like Nick Hornby and Jonathan Frantzen). This is more rare than one should believe.