Solveig, 33, has recently been engaged to teach literary history at a regional college. In the days spanned by the novel, various elements of her past life re-emerge and intermingle: her unresolved relationship with her mother, her friendship with an older colleague, Hilde, basic views on literature, and relations with her students. Exposed – and problematised – as the story unfolds are Solveig’s longing to find a meaning in life, a thread, and a feeling of solidarity with those about her.

Uke 43 is both a controversial mélange of ideas and a delicately shaded character study. Through her intense, precise mode of writing and taut construction the author opens up existential space, and by casting a searching spotlight on Solveig”s daily round reveals how ethical dimensions are ever present