Ingunn Thon - Selected Title Author
Ingunn Thon writes about Orion Sigerstad, the best besserwisser you can imagine, who one day suddenly goes wild. – This book is for you who are more concerned about what others think of you, than what you think of yourself, she says.
Perfectly Imperfect is chosen as one of NORLA’s Selected Titles autumn 2023. Here, the author Ingun Thon speaks about the book, what inspires her and where and when she works best.
What is your book about?
My book is about Orion Sigerstad, the most perfect good-two-shoes you could ever imagine. He’s perfect at home, in the band – everywhere. But one day, after an unusual parent-teacher conference with his new teacher, he wakes up and is a total rascal. He shouts and makes trouble, writes the wrong way, plays the wrong way… What happened? And how on earth can he become himself again?
What inspired you to write this book?
A combination of several things. First of all, a lot of young people today are quite concerned with how others perceive them. We all are to some extent, but it seems as if the pressure to perform and appear “perfect” is even greater than before. I hope these young people not only think “Am I doing it right”, but also that they have an equally strong inner voice that asks, “Am I doing okay?”
I also have two children of my own and notice how (painfully) often I use the word “good”. I don’t really want to say it, but it seems to slip out of me all the time. “Oh, you’re so good at getting dressed! Biking! Swimming! Eating!” Eating… Good at eating? It’s so silly it’s embarrassing. In the midst of all this, I started catastrophizing and thinking, “What could the ultimate consequence of me talking like this be?” And the ultimate consequence is Orion Sigerstad himself. I hope I stop before it goes that far…
And last but not least, I wanted to write a fast-paced – and silly – book. A book for those who think reading is boring. My dream is that one of these young people comes across this book and that it makes them think, “Oh, are there books like this, too? Well, maybe I do like reading after all.”
Who is this book for?
It’s for those who are more concerned with what others think of them than what they think of themselves. For those who need to learn to set boundaries for themselves and not always do things to please everyone else. And for those who need to be reminded that most people are doing the best they can – even if it doesn’t always seem that way.
Where and/or when do you work best?
Before, I probably worked best in the afternoon at the library or a quiet cafe. Somewhere I can’t procrastinate all that much! But now – with two kids – I work wherever I can, whenever I can, as long as I can get a minimum of 30 minutes of peace and quiet.
Read more
See full presentation of the book here
See all NORLA’s Selected Titles for autumn 2023 here
