MARIE AUBERT WINS THE YOUNG PEOPLE’S CRITICS’ PRIZE

Marie Aubert’s acclaimed novel Grown-ups has won the Young People’s Critics’ Prize, Norway’s equivalent to Goncourt des lyceens.

For the Young People’s Critics’ Prize, professional critics select a list of the best works of adult fiction of the previous year. High school classes from around the country then read and discuss the works, before ultimately deciding a winner by voting. Previous winners include Nina Lykke, Agnes Ravatn, Helga Flatland, Johan Harstad and Roy Jacobsen.

From the statement of the student jury:

“The book has a good flow. The characters were so exciting and interesting that we had to go on reading … It shows the dark sides of typical family relationshis, and how a lack of care brings out irritation and jealousy in a person. It feels real. Still, it’s not simply a bleak book, it’s also a book that makes you laugh out loud.”