Not a Mother

The fourth installment in Roy Jacobsen's bestselling Barrøy Chronicles.

After a long journey through Norway, Ingrid has finally returned to Barrøy. Life is more stable now, but the war still casts its long shadows across the country. Former collaborators face cold shoulders and retaliation, while others simply wish to leave the painful years in the past. When a boy arrives on the island and his father disappears, Ingrid assumes responsibility for the boy and adopts him. And so Mathias becomes a central part of the Barrøy community, together with Kaja, Ingrid's daughter by birth.


Life on the island is demanding, but the letters from friends in Oslo and Trondheim tell of a Norwegian society undergoing dramatic changes. Which stories should Ingrid keep to herself, and which ones should she bring to light? What kind of future does she imagine--for herself, and for the children?