A Norwegian in the House is the story of the Norwegian who became Chief of Staff for an American Congressman in 2012 and ended up leading a plot to topple the USA’s third most powerful man.

When Hans Høeg met a hillbilly by the name of Thomas Massie at the prestigious MiT in Cambridge in 1991, he realised it would be the start of a long and rewarding friendship. What’s more, he decided then and there that he would get on board if his energetic, weather-beaten friend ever decided to embark on an exciting project sometime in the future.

But when Thomas’s offer came, more than 20 years later, it was not the entrepreneurial dream Hans had imagined. His outspoken, freedom-loving fellow student from Vanceburg, Kentucky, had thrown himself into politics and had, against all the odds, been elected to represent his district in Congress on behalf of the Republicans. Massie wanted to create one hell of a commotion in Washington and needed a wingman he could count on. His choice fell on a somewhat reluctant Hans from Drammen.

Now Høeg tells the incredible story of his years at the heart of the innermost circles of power in the USA. It’s the tale of two engineer nerds’ efforts to understand the political game, their spectacular attempt to overthrow the Republican speaker, John Boehner, and a rude encounter with a self-sustaining system of corruption and bureaucratic chicanery – an ugly culture that was a logical precursor to the tumult of the 2016 presidential election.