FESTIVAL 2026

Something That Helps

by Mona Høvring

Book*hug Press

FESTIVAL 2026

Something That Helps

by Mona Høvring

Book*hug Press

Synopsis

From acclaimed Norwegian writer Mona Høvring comes an intimate and stirring coming-of-age and sexual awakening story of a young woman following her own path to destruction and reconciliation.

Laura is in her late teens, living in a small coastal town in Western Norway, the summer before her final year of school. Haunted by the death of her mother by suicide, she has a strained relationship with her fisherman father and feels the absence of her brother and closest friend, both of whom have moved away. Equal parts lonely and bewildered, a lack of guidance has made her independent, determined, and vulnerable.

When Laura meets the older, more experienced Vivian Koller, the encounter sets in motion a series of events that will come to define her and her future. Crucial influences converge, pushing the simultaneously childish and adult protagonist into dark places—and eventually toward the start of a new life.

About the Author

Mona Høvring is an award-winning Norwegian author of eight poetry collections and five novels. She has been nominated for and won various prestigious awards, including the Unified Language Prize and the Nordic Council Literature Prize. Two of her novels have been translated into English by Kari Dickson: Because Venus Crossed an Alpine Violet on the Day that I Was Born and Something That Helps. Høvring lives just outside of Oslo, Norway.  Høvring's appearance is generously supported by NORLA Norwegian Literature Abroad.  

Read more about Mona Høvring

Photo Credit: Agnete Brun

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