First published 2023
Nils Vik wakes on November 18th certain this day will be his last. The Norwegian ferry operator follows his usual morning routine while voices from his past fill his thoughts. He walks through his empty house one final time, then boards his boat for what he knows will be his last journey along the fjord. His long-dead dog jumps aboard beside him. As Nils navigates his familiar route, the dead begin appearing from the woods and ferry stops. They emerge from his logbook filled with memories, weather notes, and collected quotations. These spirits from his past accompany him now, pointing out what he may have overlooked before. All the while, Nils waits for his late wife Marta to join him on the boat once more. This Brage Prize winner tells the story of one man's quiet life unfolding in reverse, revealing how seemingly small moments carry the greatest weight.
Genres: drama, literary-fiction, contemporary, magical-realism, ghost-stories
Vibes: contemplative, haunting, introspective, lyrical, meditative, melancholic
Tropes: ghost-encounters, life-flashing-before-eyes, magical-realism, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Norway, Fjord
Period: 21st-century, Contemporary
176 pages · Paperback · Algonquin Books
Content warnings: death, suicidal-ideation