Book Review: A Modern Family by Helga Flatland, Trans. by Rosie Hedger

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book from Orenda Books via EdelweissPlus, free of charge, for review purposes on this blog. No compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it, all opinions are my own

The Norwegian Anne Tyler makes her English debut in a beautiful, bittersweet novel of rich insights and extraordinary perception, as a family drama creates a quiet earthquake…

WINNER OF THE NORWEGIAN BOOKSELLERS’ AWARD

Synopsis:

When Liv, Ellen and Håkon, along with their partners and children, arrive in Rome to celebrate their father’s seventieth birthday, a quiet earthquake occurs: their parents have decided to divorce.

Shocked and disbelieving, the siblings try to come to terms with their parents’ decision as it echoes through the homes they have built for themselves, and forces them to reconstruct the shared narrative of their childhood and family history.

A bittersweet novel of regret, relationships and rare psychological insights, A Modern Family encourages us to look at the people closest to us a little more carefully, and ultimately reveals that it’s never too late for change…

Review:

I haven't read many Norwegian authors and the ones that I have read have been mysteries so this was a bit of a different take. It's an interesting look at family Dynamics when all the kids are grown, and the parents decide to divorce. Suddenly grown children have to rethink who they are just as their parents are doing, as they wonder how much was real and how much was a forced memory made for them during their childhood. The book is divided into three sections with each child sharing the secrets that they keep from each other. This family puts dysfunction in dysfunction, but many will see universal themes. It's an interesting book but it is a bit slow in reading.

About the Author:

Helga Flatland is already one of Norway’s most awarded and widely read authors. She made her literary debut in 2010 with the novel Stay If You Can, Leave If You Must, for which she was awarded the Tarjei Vesaas’ First Book Prize. She has written four novels and a children’s book and has won several other literary awards.