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Is Mother Dead

By Vigdis Hjorth
Series: Verso Fiction
0.0 (0 reviews)
3.83 goodreads logo

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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Is Mother Dead by Vigdis Hjorth delves into a painter's return to her home country after a long absence. As she grapples with past family dysfunction, the protagonist finds herself probing the intricate dynamics with her estranged mother. The narrative explores themes of memory, identity, and unresolved family conflict with emotional intensity.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$2499
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy exploring complex family dynamics and emotional depth, as it delves into themes of maternal relationships and reconciliation. It's ideal for readers who appreciate introspective storytelling and richly developed characters navigating past traumas and present dilemmas.

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Is Mother Dead

A cat and mouse game of surveillance and psychological torment develops between a middle aged artist and her aging mother, as Vigdis Hjorth returns to the themes of her controversial modern classic, Will and Testament

A cat and mouse game of surveillance and psychological torment develops between a middle aged artist and her aging mother, as Vigdis Hjorth returns to the themes of her controversial modern classic, Will and Testament

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

"To mother is to murder, or close enough," thinks Johanna, as she looks at the spelling of the two words in Norwegian. She's recently widowed and back in Oslo after a long absence as she prepares for a retrospective of her art.

The subject of her work is motherhood and some of her more controversial paintings have brought about a dramatic rift between parent and child. This new proximity, after decades of acrimonious absence, sets both women on edge, and before too long Johanna finds her mother stalking her thoughts, and Johanna starts stalking her mother's house.

Is Mother Dead explores the complex and strained relationship between a mother and daughter, weaving together themes of art, memory, and reconciliation in a gripping narrative.

Series: Verso Fiction

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Vigdis Hjorth's Is Mother Dead is lauded for its compelling exploration of familial estrangement and psychological depth, as it follows the protagonist Johanna, an artist, in her obsessive attempts to reconnect with her estranged mother. The novel is praised for its masterful balance between empathy and obsession, offering a suspenseful narrative reminiscent of a thriller. Critics highlight the book's introspective style and its ability to delve deeply into Johanna's psyche, making it a memorable study of mother-daughter dynamics filled with emotional tension.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781804291849

Publisher: Verso Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 September 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Verso Books

Illustration: ,

Contributors:

  • Translated by Charlotte Barslund

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 22.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 284g

Pages: 352

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Series: Verso Fiction Vigdis Hjorth

About the Author

Vigdis Hjorth is the author of over a dozen prize-winning and bestselling novels. Will and Testament sold 150,000 copies in Norway and has received several awards, including the Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature and the Norwegian Booksellers’ Prize, as well as being nominated for the National Book Award and Nordic Council Literature Prize. She lives in Oslo.

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