Skammen

Shame is a compelling and ambitious tale of suffering and redemption. It is the story of Idun, a woman no less intelligent than her successful twin sister, Kathrine, but a succession of traumatic childhood experiences condemn her to a life spent mostly in a mental hospital (at her sister's instigation). There she begins to write of the trials of her own life as well as those of Norway itself: her experiences fuse with the German occupation of her country, the shame of collaboration, and the moral and spiritual upheavals of a nation—and of a sister—betrayed. The novel is luminous, written with the finest psychological insight and a streak of devastating black comedy. Foreign Rights: Harvill, England Meulenhof, Netherland Bonnier Alba, Swenden Munksgaard, Denmark Atena, Latvia Alianza, Spain Gaïa, France