Agnes works as a gynecologist in a hospital in Bergen when her husband Eivind calls her from Tromsø. The polar night has descended up north. First they talk about their son Jens and his math homework, but there’s something disturbing in Eivind’s voice. He breaks it to her that he has cancer, and it’s spreading, and he will likely never see the sun again.

Eivind and Agnes grew up together on a tiny island in Northern Norway and have known each other their entire lives. But now Eivind is dying, and Agnes is thrown into a process of soul-searching: Who are they, who have they been – for both themselves and for each other?

Christine Nitter uncovers the complex interplay between Eivind and Agnes, skillfully portraying their vulnerability and pain. Vigils is a tender, charged novel that addresses life’s greatest questions in a profound and original way.