Meet Taran L. Bjørnstad - Selected Title Author

What is the book about?

Week 40 is about losing control. It’s about being hit by a crosswind that wipes out any and all plans and dreams you have for the future. The book’s protagonist is Even, a young, ambitious man on the brink of independent adulthood. At a random afterparty, he meets a student named Iben, and that night with her (week 1) leads him into a fierce and all-consuming crush. Iben is volatile and eventually pulls away from Even completely, while he tries to deal with the heartbreak with intense workouts and focusing on school and friends. It goes… okay. 32 weeks after their first encounter, Even receives the shocking news that will change his life completely: on the first and only night they slept together, a child was conceived. Someone has to care for the child, and Even must make one of the biggest and most difficult decisions of his life.

What inspired you to write this book?

Young adulthood has always inspired me. It’s a period full of defining moments and big decisions. We’re also living in a time when young people are told they can keep doing whatever they want – which makes the options available to them seem almost endless. But every now and again, things happen that push you completely off course. They determine the direction your life is going to take without you having the opportunity to opt out or choose something else… and no matter what you do, they affect the rest of your life. I wanted to find such an event. Something that could push a strong, independent, and ambitious young man off course. What if an 18-year-old who has his whole future planned out – military service, studying abroad – finds out that he got a girl pregnant? What if she’s not capable of caring for the child, and he has to decide if he wants to take on the responsibility – or not?

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See full presentation of the book here

Read more about the author here

See all NORLA’s Selected Titles for the spring 2023 here