The fourth volume of Edvard Hoem’s epic family saga spanning two continents and three generations.

Eilert Knudtson, who has been a farmer on the Alberta Prairie for more than twenty years, has come to Norway to see his siblings again, and to cope with his grief over having lost his wife Martha, mother to his eight children. The year is 1927, and 34 years have passed since he left Norway.

Sixteen year old Lars Hoem, son of Anton Edvard, wants to follow his uncle back to Canada. He says he has to get away, because there’s a rock standing between him and the sun where he is now. Lars Hoem’s life in Canada becomes a dark thread leading towards the harsh 1930s. Soon Eilert also finds himself engaged in a long struggle to survive as a farmer.

Lives Others Have Lived is a sensuous family saga with unforgettable main characters. Edvard Hoem’s new novel asks the fundamental question: To what extent can a man shape his own fate? How much is decided by forces we can’t control?