Description
In postwar Oslo, an ordinary Norwegian family is shaped by extraordinary forces: a mother marked by stigma and secrets, a father whose charm masks instability, and two half-brothers who grow up on sharply different paths. Narrated with intimacy and wit, the novel follows Barnum as he watches Fred—powerful, restless, and emotionally burdened—be pulled away by the pressures of society and the limits of understanding. As their lives diverge into boxing and writing, the story becomes a sweeping meditation on how trauma travels through generations, how identity is formed by what families hide, and how love can both protect and wound. With Christensen’s lyrical, character-driven style and a panoramic sense of time and place, this prizewinning novel gathers its threads at a mother’s deathbed, revealing the ties that refuse to stay severed.
Available Editions
paperback
Skyhorse Publishing Company, Incorporated
Published Jan 1, 2011
ISBN: 9781611452556
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Details
First Published
2001
Language
eng
Translation
From: nor
Content Warnings
Content and trigger warnings for The Half Brother by Lars Saabye Christensen.