“The lonely existences of the concrete block make the heart bleed. … How on earth the author can describe a person’s mind so credibly is completely incomprehensible, but wildly impressive. One thing is to be familiar with the tall and uniform apartment blocks, the cramped apartments, the shady concrete tunnels covered in graffiti – all that can be observed with the naked eye. Quite another is to depict the invisible inner world, such as the feeling of inadequacy, the experience of being derailed, and the daily struggle to prove one’s worth as a mother, grandmother, friend. It requires an empathy beyond the ordinary. Maria Navarro Skaranger convincingly and indelibly joins the ranks of notable authors who depict class society from within. She has found a narrative voice that, devoid of social indignation, stands on the side of the defenseless, so we see what they see. Unfiltered.”
5/6 stars, Henriette Bacher Lind, Jyllands-Posten, Denmark

“Sidsel’s heartbreaking lonely and sad life is depicted in a way that pains the reader. Her spark of life is not strong, and one wishes that someone could help her when she cannot help herself. Skaranger has a unique narrative voice and also gives voice to the lower social classes here.”
Lone Krøgh. Danish Libraries’ Recommendation

“A truly unique authorial voice capable of shedding light and wonder in a bleak and inhospitable suburban environment, characterized by class, hereditary poverty, and marginalization. The narrative technique brings forth a distinctive blend of anxiety and nostalgia.”
Inger Bentzrud, Dagbladet, the 3 best books of 2023

“Among young Norwegian writers, Maria Navarro Skaranger has stood out as an original voice since her debut. This year saw the release of her fourth novel, also set in the suburb of Romsås in Oslo. The book is a sort of free follow-up to Emily forever from 2021, but this time it mostly revolves around Emily’s mother, Sidsel. With the greatest naturalness, the author depicts the life of a disabled woman gradually losing her grip. Skaranger delves deep and possesses a linguistic acumen and musicality that truly stand out. Bravo!”
Gabriel Vosgraff Moro, VG, the 3 best books of 2023

“With Skaranger, everything is in the voice and atmosphere; she leans completely into her own project, inviting you to join without hesitation.”
Karin Haugen, Klassekampen, the 3 best books of 2023

“A sad story, but the way it’s told is musical, gripping, smart, intuitive, and with just the right amount of empathy.”
Espen Stueland, Klassekampen, the 3 best books of 2023

“I can’t stand being surpassed by people younger than me. The fact that Skaranger keeps writing better and better books is going to be the end of me.”
Eirik Riis Mossefinn, Klassekampen, the 3 best books of 2023

“Oh, Sidsel. A fragile existence at the edge of the world emerges and becomes meaningful for the reader.”
Astrid Hygen Meyer, Klassekampen, the 3 best books of 2023

“About Sidsel, who lives a life in Romsås, a little happy and a little scared, a little alone and a little hunched, on the verge of becoming a bit peculiar. A small yet significant novel.”
Carline Tromp, Klassekampen, the 3 best books of 2023

“Read this novel with one eye on the deeply touching story of Sidsel and the other on the impressive narrative technique Skaranger has developed.”
Bjørn Ivar Fyksen, Klassekampen, the 3 best books of 2023

“Historical novels are contemporary literature when they’re first published. However, there’s every reason to highlight fictional portrayals of real lives in present-day Norway. Especially when they are as good as Skaranger’s latest. This year’s release sheds light on lives lived on the outskirts of what many of us have insight into. The book is a standalone sequel to the poignant novel Emily forever (2021) and portrays the not-so-easy life of Sidsel, the disabled mother of single mother Emily.”
Rolv Nøtvig Jacobsen, Vårt Land, the 3 best books of 2023

“A new highlight in the author’s work. Maria Navarro Skaranger continues to delve into the literary universe of Emily Forever, with exceptionally strong results. The more the author comments on and considers Sidsel, the more she moves her around like a chess piece, the more she reveals of her own story, her own unbreakable connection to the gray apartment block landscape. The result is exceptionally good, a high point so far in an oeuvre that only becomes stronger and more penetrating with each release.”
Leif Bull, Dagens Næringsliv

“The author is not afraid of asking bold questions with incomplete answers in her remarkable new novel … Skaranger’s novels show that class is not only about external circumstances but something that resides inside our minds … Em and Sidsel’s stories are simple. But they are allowed to be enigmatic people. If the biggest question in Skaranger’s new novel is whether Sidsel’s fate has a cause, the novel’s achievement is that it both confirms and denies it.”
Carina Elisabeth Beddari, Morgenbladet

“After four novels, there is no longer any doubt. Maria Navarro Skaranger is one of our leading fiction writers”
6/6 stars
Kjetil Korslund, Subjekt

“A heart-wrenching little book, a text that reveals an author with a genuine interest in people who haven’t exactly had luck in life […] Skaranger has a truly effective grasp of the narrative. She dares to be observant, documenting from the outside, while being close […] Skaranger provides no answers. But she gives the reader something to chew on.”
5/6 stars
Anne Cathrine Straume, NRK

“Skaranger is among the most refined authors of her generation… We recognize the sincere narrative voice from Emily Forever; it is still refreshingly free from the constrained quality that literature can sometimes acquire when it tries too hard to be literary… Skaranger manages to balance the narrator’s personal-essayistic tone with an uninterrupted interest in the characters”
Maria Olerud, Vinduet

“What a talent she is! Maria Navarro Skaranger’s fourth novel, Whistling in the Dark Wind, shines in the autumn darkness… Skaranger demonstrates enormous empathy for Sidsel… Skaranger writes from a small geographical area, the tall gray blocks east of Oslo built in the 1960s, but what she writes about is universal… She sees the depth and vulnerability in those who struggle. In Sidsel, who is becoming strange again, and in everyone when life hits hard. It is tempting to call Skaranger Romsås’ great female poet.”
5/6 stars
Gabriel Michael Vosgraff Moro, VG

“Skaranger is not afraid to delve into serious themes, and she does so with finesse. The narrative approach gives the book a distinctiveness that stands out in the contemporary literary landscape. There are not many clichés about self-realization in the upper middle class here! The book is simply exemplary in its balance. Skaranger’s unique style and originality make Sidsel come alive, not just as a character meant to prove a moral point. This makes Whistling in the Dark Wind a powerful book that lingers.”
6/6 stars
Idun Kjøl Wiig, Natt og Dag

“Skaranger’s novels are truly special, thanks to a commenting narrator who poses essential questions and provides reconciling answers. This novel also revolves around marginalization, hereditary poverty, and class. However, Skaranger’s unique authorial voice has the ability to extract what’s uniquely human – our inquisitive and searching nature – from the inhospitable and bleak environment. In this way, she brings light into her novels.”
5/6 stars
Inger Bentzrud, Dagbladet

“Many have been awakened by Skaranger’s books about people on the fringes of society. The way the novel is narrated seems more sophisticated than her previous works. By depicting Sidsel from both inside and outside, as well as from her daughter’s perspective and the anonymous narrator’s perspective, Skaranger strangely brings out the richness of a life on disability benefits. Towards the end, the book mentions that it has quoted and twisted a couple of sentences from Dag Solstad’s novel from Romsås, An Attempt to Describe the Impenetrable … Before I have come that far, I have noted that the portrayal of Sidsel has qualities I associate with another Solstad novel, T. Singer … It’s hard to give higher praise.”
Tom Egil Hverven, Klassekampen

“In a subtle way, Skaranger manages to depict how poverty and stagnation shape a person’s thought world. The novel is a kind of display of disorientation, a linguistic and emotional groping for a firm anchor. This is, as mentioned, part of Skaranger’s method. With shifting perspectives, she explores society’s gaze on marginalization. Skaranger shows that she is an exceptionally strong portraitist.”
Ingeborg Misje Bergem, Vårt Land