Nothing Grows by Moonlight is the story of a young woman’s affair with an older man, and about her longing for love and intimacy. She gets pregnant, but instead of letting herself be humiliated, she rebels against an inhuman society.

In 2023, Nothing Grows by Moonlight was named one of 10 books of a new canon for the left, next to works by Karl Marx, Simone de Beauvoir, John Steinbeck, Pierre Bourdieu and Frantz Fanon. It was the only book that made both the jury’s list and the top 10 list in the readers’ poll.

“Almost thirty years before the law on self-determined abortion was passed in Norway, the book Nothing Grows by Moonlight was published. It was Torborg Nedreaas’ first novel, but judged by literary and civil courage, one might think it was written by a far more experienced author. The direct and detailed depiction of a self-induced abortion was groundbreaking in its time and has since made an indelible impression on countless readers. The book also portrays a political awakening and is a strong moral reflection on what it means to be a responsible human being.”
Klassekampen’s Canon of the Left, jury statement