Nyokk

A large, noisy, populous novel about family, about how the past returns at the most inconvenient times, and about what it means to grow up when someone has abandoned you once. At the center is Samuel, a teacher and an aspiring writer for many years. His mother left her husband and small son and suddenly reappeared decades later—in the news after a scandalous and absurd act that the whole country is talking about. Samuel decides to dive into the past (escaping from his dull present) and begins to investigate the life of his strange mother. Who was she— a hippie radical as portrayed by the press, or a modest housewife as Samuel remembers her? He is set to uncover many secrets, including those kept by Norway, the homeland of his ancestors. And at the same time, he will sort through himself. This is both a "great American novel" and a quiet family chronicle that encompasses everything: the noise of the era, laughter, sadness, modern twists, and unexpected tenderness.