Will and Testament A Novel
Will and Testament A Novel by Vigdis Hjorth, published by Verso Books on September 10, 2019, is a translation that spans 336 pages. This novel explores the complexities of family dynamics through the lens of four siblings grappling with a bitter dispute over their parents’ will. As Bergljot returns to her family after two decades, the conflict over two summer houses reveals deeper issues of trauma and memory, challenging the perceptions of outsiders who see only a quarrel over property.
Readers will find a nuanced portrayal of familial mistrust and misunderstanding, as Bergljot confronts a painful secret from her past. The narrative delves into themes of disinheritance and the emotional scars that linger within family relationships. With its focus on women and the intricacies of sibling relationships, Will and Testament offers a compelling examination of how unresolved issues can shape lives. This edition presents Hjorth’s work in English, making it accessible to a broader audience interested in contemporary world literature, particularly from Norway.
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Longlisted for the National Book Award
Four siblings, two summer houses, one terrible secret—the “prickly, persuasive” bestseller from one of Norway’s most celebrated novelists, perfect for readers of Rachel Cusk and Karl Ove Knausgaard (New Yorker)
“ . . . Hypnotic. Hjorth works finely parsed and brilliant variations on her unrelenting theme of familial mistrust and misunderstanding.” —New York Times
When a dispute over her parents’ will grows bitter, Bergljot is drawn back into the orbit of the family she fled twenty years before. Her mother and father have decided to leave two island summer houses to her sisters, disinheriting the two eldest siblings from the most meaningful part of the estate. To outsiders, it is a quarrel about property and favoritism. But Bergljot, who has borne a horrible secret since childhood, understands the gesture as something very different—a final attempt to suppress the truth and a cruel insult to the grievously injured.
Will and Testament is a lyrical meditation on trauma and memory, as well as a furious account of a woman’s struggle to survive and be believed. Vigdis Hjorth’s novel became a controversial literary sensation in Norway and has been translated into twenty languages.
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