What use is shame when he’s in it with me?

The year is 1862. Brita Caisa is released from prison in Pykeijä. Heavily pregnant, she trudges through the driving snow, unsure of where to go. Her boyfriend, Mikko, is still serving time for their scandalous cohabitation. He still doesn’t know that Brita Caisa is carrying their child. She dreams of a tømmerpirtti, a log cabin, where she, Mikko and their children can live as a family, but there will be many obstacles on the road to making this home a reality.

Vestersand, the second book in the series Ruijan Rannalla – Songs from the Arctic Ocean, takes us to Neiden and Pykeijä, to whaling and log-cabin building, to snow and saunas, to fatal jealousy and deep love. It is an epic and dramatic tale from a unique environment that is rarely described in other literature – the surprisingly diverse Northern Norway of the nineteenth century, where Sámi, Kvens and Norwegians lived side by side with their languages and customs.

REVIEWS

A lush place between [García] Márquez and Sandemo
«Many had a great reading experience with the first book, and they won’t be disappointed with this one. […] wonderful descriptions of nature, the labour and the community of the every day, descriptions which elevate the story, make it bigger than itself.»
Adresseavisen, five/six stars

«Vestersand will thrill both old and new readers.»
Stavanger Aftenblad, five/six stars

«… captivating from the first page. […] the language is so visual that I’m left with images in my head, as if I’ve seen a documentary.»
Vårt Land

Piping hot by the Arctic Ocean
«Arvola exercises her literary abilities in subtle, beautiful descriptions of the strenuous working life, of the everyday life, peppered with fierce bursts of passion. […] There is a lot of cultural history to enjoy here.»
Dagsavisen

«Thumbs up to an author who describes people in our near past who deserves literature’s spotlight.»
NRK