Oceans of time

It is midsummer in Norway. A long-divorced couple, Johan and Judith, meet one another again in the wake of a family tragedy. Finally they are forced to confront what went wrong in their relationship and the effect it has had on those around them. In the extraordinary psychological drama that follows, Johan and Judith plumb the very depths of sorrow and despair, before emerging with a new understanding. This profound novel, which draws on the myth of Persephone and on Mozart’s The Magic Flute, not only deals with loss and grief, but also – transformingly – with hope, recovery, and love.

‘A beautiful book which will communicate to everyone who reads it’
(Jostein Gaarder, author of Sophie’s World)

‘Captivating, sensitive, forceful,’ (Norwegian Critics Association, Award Winner 2003)

“Andersen’s exceptional novel… the intimacy of the narrative and rawness of its emotions are underpinned by a strong mythological framework… intensely moving, written in pellucid prose.” (The Independent)

“This is psychological drama at its very best… making such sublime modern literature available to wider audiences can only be a positive thing.” (The Big Issue)

“Andersen proving as adept at perceiving love’s intricacies as she is at parenthood’s… A bravely clear-eyed study.” (The Times)

“A most ingenious construction… this remarkable novel… It is an index both of Andersen’s artistry and her intensity of vision that her evocation of Mozart’s sublime work doesn’t appear inapt. (The Guardian)

Gyldendal 2002