Marie Aubert

Grown-ups

Voksne mennesker

Ida is an architect, childless and in her prime, but lately the warning signs have become increasingly different to ignore. Just to be on the safe side, she has explored the possibilities of freezing eggs for later use, in case she will meet the right man. Now summer is here, and Ida is on a bus heading south to the idyllic family cabin by the sea, where her mother will celebrate her 65th birthday with her little family. Ida’s younger sister Marthe is there already, together with her partner Kristoffer, and Kristoffer’s daughter from previous relationship. Everything seems set for a perfect summer weekend – but then Marthe breaks her wonderful news.

Grown-ups is a novel of family ties worn thin, jealousy and self-assertion, and the shame of not being loved.

Winner of the 2020 Young People’s Critics’ Prize
Nominated for the 2019 Booksellers’ Prize

‘(…) the book you have to read this summer … Aubert can portray shame in ways that will make the reader, to her surprise, react with both joy and dread.’

Aftenposten

‘A delight to read (…)’

Stavanger Aftenblad, 5 out of 6 stars

’ (…) fulfills all expectations with an elegant, tailormade story (…) Both Cora Sandel and Torborg Nedreaas show up on my retina while reading this light, elegant summer drama’

Dagsavisen
Photo: Agnete Brun

Marie Aubert was born in 1979 and lives in Oslo. She made her debut with the short story collection Can I Come Home with You (2016), which was a huge success in Norway, selling more than 10,000 copies. Grown-ups is her first novel.