“A peculiar and unique read … Tore Renberg turns a frostbitten girl in a Norwegian mountain village into a gateway to the most contentious social issues of our time … The Lord is an intelligent and subtle novel that has far more questions than answers about humanity in the modern world.”
Eilif Guldvog Hartvedt, Aftenposten
“Frighteningly funny … The Lord is a deftly written study of an unstable psyche – with hysterically funny footnotes. … what remains is a portrait of a fate, a depiction of a village, and an empathy for marginalized souls. And that empathy is as warmly immersive as it is coolly observant.”
6/6 stars, Andreas Wiese, Dagbladet
“Sparklingly funny, and with great depth … A book that denies itself nothing, by an author who holds nothing back. Tightly composed, wildly humorous, and quite serious. … The prose is brilliant, and there’s a playfulness here that is otherwise lacking in contemporary literature.”
6/6 stars, Fartein Horgar, Adresseavisen
“Energetic and entertaining from Tore Renberg about a retired Norwegian teacher, an English lord, and a child star in a coma. … One can have many opinions about Tore Renberg, but he is never boring, and the energy and enthusiasm in his books are contagious. The Lord is different in several ways, but with the usual vigor, nerve, and intensity.”
5/6 stars, Sigmund Jensen, Stavanger Aftenblad
“A richly bubbling book, with a powerful pull … Renberg continues his exploration of human brutality in The Lord: A fascinating tale of rural superstition and envy, imagination and creativity – and all those things kept secret. … The Lord is an artful, quite complex composition. Like a Bach cantata, with at least three themes intertwined … … This is a true horror novel, but in a different way than initially assumed.”
Gerd Elin Stava Sandve. Dagsavisen
“Tender, sharp, and suspenseful … The Lord is a both delicate and thrilling portrait of a vulnerable man. … Behind the humorous, sharp exterior lies a rather frightened figure, and Renberg peels him like an onion as the book progresses. Jon Magne’s vulnerability is as intriguing a development as the village mystery. Even the lord becomes almost a slightly uninteresting side character. The most impressive aspect is how carefully Renberg portrays Jon Magne. ‘Lorden’ offers both exciting mystery, wit, and a tender portrait of an increasingly visible vulnerable man.”
5/6 stars, Oda Faremo Lindholm, VG
