Rune goes to Gran Canaria with his wife Evelyn and her son from a previous marriage, 12 year old Iver. Iver is “a bit difficult”, as he generally behaves like a child half his age. Luckily the travel agency has promised Rune that Iver can join the Teddy Bear Club, even though he is way past the upper age limit. Finally Rune and Evelyn will get some time to themselves. But when Iver is refused entrance to the Teddy Bear Club, things start to fall apart.

After receiving much praise for Neutral, Bård Torgersen reaches a new peak with this short novel. As moving as it is terrifying, Adults and Children is an intense story of what happens when well-meaning middle class people come face to face with the chaotic forces of existence.

Praise for ADULTS AND CHILDREN:

“a razor sharp novel (…) disturbing and impressive”
Adresseavisen

“the final scene [must be] one of the most fantastic – in any meaning of the word – in the history of Norwegian literature”
Aftenposten

“Torgersen has given us several astounding books, and here he is at his very best. A story that, in all its simplicity, carries both depth and explosive force….. an original and very exciting literary project”
Hamar Arbeiderblad

“Everything is right, but still wrong, in Torgersen’s paradise”
Vårt Land

“a tender and brutal family portrait…. The author has a talent for adding an eerie and often brutal undertone to the familiar and trivial scene…. Torgersen’s language is clean cut and elegant, and the dialogue is particularly good and natural …. With surreal imagery, Torgersen conjures up fine, psychological portraits”
Dagsavisen

“on the surface, this is a simple, easy-going and easily recognizable story about a holiday that didn’t live up to expectations. But Torgersen is a master of the art of suggestion. Below everything, something unsettled is lurking, and throughout the novel, the menacing atmosphere and discomfort grow”
Stavanger Aftenblad

“The book can be read as a diagnosis of Western people’s fatigue; the inner feeling of boredom and meaninglessness that is so hard to banish”
Dagbladet