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goodreads
Title: Og sådan blev det (And that's the way it was)Author: Maren Uthaug
Genre: Cultural
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 205
Date read: November 2013
A young girl is forced away from her Sami background and sent to live in Jutland. She never feels settled in Denmark, so as an adult she makes contact with the mother she left behind, and travels back to the country of her childhood to find her roots.
Honestly, I have NO idea how to review this book. It was absolutely brilliant, but so different from what I usually read that I'm at a loss for words. The title so perfectly describes the life of Risten / Kirsten from her forced separation from her mother, to the overbearing character of her step-mother (gah! she made me furious!) and the final closure back in northern Norway. The ending was very abrupt, but for once really worked for me - and again, tied in perfectly with the title.
It's a book that stays with you, I think, and though I honestly cannot say whether I liked it or not, I can say that it worked - and that Maren Uthaug is an incredibly talented author. She really has a way with words! This is her first novel, but hopefully not her last.
