The Knife in the Fire - Ruijan rannalla/Songs from the Arctic Ocean
Kniven i ilden. Ruijan rannalla / Sanger fra Ishavet
The Knife in the Fire is a riveting historical novel about work and love, strong communities, and carefree erotica, the individual and the community.
The year is 1859. Brita Caisa Seipajærvi straps on her skis and takes the long road from Finland to Norway with her two children. Brita Caisa has been disciplined by the church for having an affair with a married man. She can heal animals and humans. The destination for their journey is Bugøynes, where the sea is said to be brimming with cod.
The Knife in the Fire is the first title in the Ruijan rannalla/Songs from the Arctic Ocean trilogy, about Finnish Kvens and the landscape they live in. Brita Caisa was the great-great-grandmother of author Ingeborg Arvola. Arvola’s writing evokes the smell of blood after slaughtering reindeer, the taste of cloudberries, the feeling of coldness from the snow and heat from the fire.
Winner of the 2022 Brage Prize and the 2022 Norwegian Booksellers’ Prize
Nominated for the 2023 Nordic Council Literature Prize, the 2022 Critic’s Award, and the 2022 Youth Critic’s Award
‘A magnificent epic tale by Ingeborg Arvola. A fascinating and riveting read, with an ending promising for a future continuation. And yes, the publisher promises that there will be a trilogy.’
VG, 6 out of 6 stars
‘A dramatic, poetic and steamy novel sets the bar high (…) It’s been long since bodies and desire have been portrayed so nakedly and simply put, sexy, in a Norwegian book! A sensuous, realistic and very poetic novel.’
Klassekampen
