Shame

Shame

A compelling and ambitious tale of suffering and redemption-set in Norway. Idun Hov could have led a normal life. She is no less intelligent than her successful twin sister, Kathrine-a psychiatrist and documentary filmmaker-but a succession of traumatic childhood experiences condemn Idun to a life spent mostly in a mental hospital (at her sister's instigation). There she begins to write. The trials of her own life and of Norway itself enter her writing: her experiences fuse with the German occupation of her country, the shame of collaboration, and the moral and spiritual upheavals of a small nation-and of a sister-betrayed. This is a luminous novel, written with the finest psychological insight and a streak of devastating black comedy. Shame was the winner of the prestigious Norwegian Critics' Award in 1997.