“Grabs hold of the reader. Karoline Mirković debuts with a tender and heartwarming novel about a Veitvet family with roots in Yugoslavia… Mirković writes with confidence and a distinct prose. She writes concretely and down-to-earth – it’s easy to think of Per Petterson. She has the stories: the sad ones, the comical ones, the unforgettable ones… Not least, Mirković creates a touching portrait of a father, drawn with love and wistfulness.”
5/6 stars, Maya Troberg Djuve, Dagbladet
“… a loving, painful, and clear novel about the destructive power of war … unusually lucid and detailed portraits of a mother and a father … Home is simply a peaceful place. The darkness of the story will prove to seep in from elsewhere … To read about Divna’s experiences with the horrors of the Yugoslav wars is simply so moving that some passages stay with me … The straightforward tone and the circling around a young person’s search for identity in Veitvet, brings to mind Per Petterson’s novel It’s Fine By Me.”
Maria Olerud, Morgenbladet
“Daily life steeped in magic. This is a tender gem of a debut novel … the summer vacations in the Zlatibor mountains full of sunshine and powerful experiences. A fairytale landscape is conveyed together with colorful personalities … follows daily life with expectations and disappointments, a strong family feeling full of love … a powerful and truly good story. One gets close to people one feels like getting to know, who one cares about – and gets a story one hasn’t heard before.”
5/6 stars, Ole Jacob Hoel, Adresseavisen
“This dream of a debut novel made me long for a Yugoslavia I have never visited … Mirkovic writes herself into a solid tradition of Rødtvet authors, and finely depicts growing up with one foot in each of two different cultures. What makes Divna’s Book extra beautiful, however, are the sensuous depictions, especially of the summers in Yugoslavia. The details give depth, showing what will be lost, when the war the reader knows will come, actually does … a very good coming-of-age novel, Oslo novel, and anti-war novel.”
Gerd Elin Stava Sandve, Dagsavisen
