“Rønning’s second novel is deservedly among the nominees for this year’s Brage Prize. Through precise and detailed prose, we follow the experiences of fifteen-year-old Molli, dealing with neglect and the long days of summer. The aftermath of violence in adulthood and the longing to believe in something or someone outside oneself gives the book deeper layers of meaning.”
Sigrid Elise Strømmen, Vårt Land, Best Books of 2024
“Stylish and distinctive, a great boost!”
Arne Borge, Morgenbladet, Best Books of 2024
“Malin C.M. Rønning writes terrifyingly well about parents who see recognize no boundaries and a child who is as free as she is trapped in The Twelfth House. The author’s mix of grotesque images with the child’s narrow understanding of the world evokes both unease and fascination. Rønning writes with hard precision and a razor-sharp eye.”
Joakim Tjøstheim, Dagbladet, Best Books of 2024
“Grotesquely good … darker than an angry pupil and tickles under your skin, a read that bites hard … the most vivid literary character I can remember getting acquainted with this year … Rønning has a special ability to make the reader a captive of the inner lives of the characters … Rønning blends the morbid and the childishly naive like no other. The child’s gaze is also mixed with an intense seriousness … The book will continue to arouse chills in the reader for a long time, because Rønning is a storyteller of distinction”
Joakim Tjøstheim, Dagbladet
“How is violence experienced by a child and what consequences does it have for a life, and further for new generations? … The novel’s prose has detailed passages filled with atmosphere and insight … woven into the book are mythical explorations of people’s ability to influence or be doomed by their own destiny. This makes The Twelfth House an ambitious novel that is difficult to put down – even after the end of the story”
Sigrid Elise Strømmen, Vårt Land
“Rønning’s second book stands comparison with established, acclaimed writers … Rønning’s writing style is prosaically thorough, but also poetically dreamy, and eerie – and brings to mind an author like Sara Stridsberg… The Twelfth House, which largely deals with neglect, has something wild and monstrous about it. The main character, Molli, also has something unruly about her, which also brings associations to Matias Faldbakken’s later books… The violence in ‘The Twelfth House’ appears unpredictable, the violence is chaos, it spreads, it infects… Thus, the novel stands entirely on the side of the outsider… And yes, the literary quality of The Twelfth House holds up.”
Margunn Vikingstad, Morgenbladet
“Malin C.M. Rønning demonstrates superbly controlled prose as the consequences of domestic violence become the theme in her second novel… Rønning has a firm grip on language, metaphors, and symbolism, and with few words, she manages to reflect her characters’ emotions in the reader. The Twelfth House is painful to read. But it is also necessary reading for anyone who needs insight into what violence and neglect look like.”
5/6 stars
Mai Lene Fløysvik Hæåk, Stavanger Aftenblad
“A dark diamond… Rønning skillfully depicts the house where Frank sits and hisses small derogatory remarks at his new stepdaughter. It’s the early 1990s, and the air is thick with smoke. An aquarium and a tanning bed in the living room. A shotgun and a porn calendar on the wall. A car wrecking company as the nearest neighbor. The river is dirty. The nearby forest is a thicket. There are few safe places here… The great bright spot in this story is the resilience that grows in a child who refuses to be broken… a finely honed tale.”
5/6 stars
Knut Hoem, NRK
