Tore Renberg

The Orheim Company

Jarle is 24 when one night a phone call rouses him from his drunken sleep. It is his mother, telling him that his father is dead. Instead of sadness, Jarle is filled only with anger and a sense of relief.

Two decades earlier, everything looked good for the small family – the Orheim Company – who moved into a terrace house in Norway’s oil capital Stavanger. As Jarle grows up, he possesses an enormous will to make the best of his world: He falls violently in love with girls, becomes an anti-racist and a feminist; and pop music is constantly playing in his head. But one day Jarle changes his last name. He no longer wants to be Jarle Orheim; from now on his name is Jarle Klepp. What happened to the Orheim Company? Why was it that those who wanted only the best for one another ended up doing each other harm?

Praise:
"Finally, Renberg!... a page-turner, well told and well constructed... exceeding all expectations... Renberg’s best. We will be waiting impatiently for the third book about Jarle."
Stavanger Aftenblad

"touchingly emphatic... well-written, and more than a little intelligent."
Dagens Næringsliv

"believable, gripping and essential... Renberg has [...] found his force, which is the personal narrative... an important book"
Klassekampen

"Renberg reaffirms his strength as a writer... He is an expert at building characters... And he is obviously an author who will attract many readers"
Dagbladet