Published in 1945, shortly after Norway was liberated from Nazi occupation, Torborg Nedreaas’ debut tackles themes that were particularly poignant at the time.

Without any moralizing, these stories portray passionate, suffering, loving beings driven primarily by the instinct to survive. Sometimes with great bluntness, she evokes the fate of women compromised in relationships with the occupiers, whether acting out of self-interest or genuine romantic impulse. Several stories depict very young girls selling their favors to the Germans in exchange for a bit of material comfort. Nedreaas shows the full ambiguity of these women’s situations, who find a semblance of affection with the Germans while being violently rejected by good society.

Beyond the darkness, a true aspiration for freedom runs through these stories, considered one of Torborg Nedreaas’s most important works.