they
Will be published approx. on 5. February 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
160 pages
978-1-83675-003-1 (ISBN)
Description
They go for a walk by the playing fields, the anemones are out.
In the small Danish town of Rodby, a mother and her sixteen-year-old daughter live uneventfully, each day marked by routine and a quiet intimacy. Together, they are a family; complete, content - and fragile.
When the mother begins to feel unwell, everything and nothing changes. They go about their lives, talk about anything but the diagnosis. The daughter takes tentative steps into adulthood. Still, illness - and the possibility of loss - cast an expansive shadow over the rituals of daily life.
they is a tender and piercing exploration of a mother-daughter relationship, brought into startling focus by Helle Helle's distinctive, immediate prose.
In the small Danish town of Rodby, a mother and her sixteen-year-old daughter live uneventfully, each day marked by routine and a quiet intimacy. Together, they are a family; complete, content - and fragile.
When the mother begins to feel unwell, everything and nothing changes. They go about their lives, talk about anything but the diagnosis. The daughter takes tentative steps into adulthood. Still, illness - and the possibility of loss - cast an expansive shadow over the rituals of daily life.
they is a tender and piercing exploration of a mother-daughter relationship, brought into startling focus by Helle Helle's distinctive, immediate prose.
Reviews / Votes
'You laugh and laugh, cry and cry. Not bawling or sobbing, but quiet and intense. That's what it's like reading Helle Helle.' 'Every sentence is significant, and you have to take time to imbibe the moods and read the details and their indirect characteristics, what they reveal about the characters and their thoughts.' 'Helle has enchanting gifts as a storyteller.' -- Jonathan Russell Clark 'One of Scandinavia's finest authors.' 'Without redundant words or extensive expeditions, but absolutely not without humour, she conveys the daily life and existential emptiness in the outskirts of Denmark.' 'Helle Helle's new novel shines with linguistic precision and elegance.' 'One of my favourite Danish writers - she's the master' -- Olga Ravn * Guardian *More details
Language
Other
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 195 mm
Width: 126 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
186 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83675-003-1 (9781836750031)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Helle Helle was born in Denmark in 1965. She is a graduate of the Danish Academy of Creative Writing and the author of a number of novels as well as two collections of short stories. She is one of Scandinavia's most original writers, with a career spanning three decades, from her debut Example of Life (1993) to her most recent novel Hafni Says, published in 2023 to rave reviews. Her books have been translated into twenty-four languages.
Martin Aitken is an acclaimed translator of Scandinavian literature, including works by Karl Ove Knausgaard, Hanne Orstavik and Olga Ravn. He has received the American-Scandinavian Foundation's Nadia Christensen Translation Prize, the US National Translation Award in Prose and the PEN America Translation Prize, among other awards. His translations have also appeared on the shortlists of the DUBLIN Literary Award, the US National Book Awards and the International Booker Prize.
Martin Aitken is an acclaimed translator of Scandinavian literature, including works by Karl Ove Knausgaard, Hanne Orstavik and Olga Ravn. He has received the American-Scandinavian Foundation's Nadia Christensen Translation Prize, the US National Translation Award in Prose and the PEN America Translation Prize, among other awards. His translations have also appeared on the shortlists of the DUBLIN Literary Award, the US National Book Awards and the International Booker Prize.