Only Human

by Kristine Næss, Sean Kinsella (Translation), Kristine Naess

Bea Britt lives alone in her grandmother’s house in Oslo. Early one morning, there are people out in the garden, and drama unfolding on her living room TV. Volunteers are scouring the neighbouring woods looking for Emilie, a twelve-year-old girl who has disappeared.

Emilie's rucksack is found in Bea's garden. Bea is at first a suspect, then a witness, and finally a potential second victim, as her spiralling doubts and suspicions take over.

The mystery of Emilie’s disappearance and Bea’s story are intricately bound to the lives of two other women: her grandmother Cecilie, a troubled 1930s housewife in therapy whose marriage is on the rocks, bringing the abuse and neglect she suffered as a child to the surface. And Beate, a young university student who visits Bea, desperate for love, but plagued by insecurity and uncertainty.

Only Human is an urgent and rich novel about enduring oneself and others, delicately revealing of the choices that shape a human life, about what is needed when life wears thin, and the illuminating power of love.

Genres: Fiction, Novels

308 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2014

About the author

Kristine Næss (f. 1964) debuterte i 1996 med diktsamlingen Obladi. Hun har siden skrevet romaner, fortellinger og en poetikk, og har utmerket seg i det norske litterære landskapet med en tydelig og særegen stemme. Hun har også virket som tidsskriftredaktør og kritiker. I 2009 ble Næss tildelt et av Bokhandlerforeningens forfatterstipend. For romanen Bare et menneske (2014) ble Kristine Næss nominert til Nordisk råds litteraturpris 2015.

Reviews

[Ida Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hvorfor er det ingen i livet mitt som har sagt "Ida, Ida, du må lese Kristine Næss?" Den siste romanen hennes var nominert til Nordisk Råds litteraturpris i fjor, men jeg fikk den bare med meg så vidt. Ingen snakket om den på fest og ingen løp ned døra mi med den. Jeg plukket den opp fordi den lå fremme på Tronsmo & fordi Næss var med på en workshop jeg tok en gang, og var en sabla god leser, så jeg var nysgjerrig på hvordan hun skrev. Og shit banditt, så dyktig hun er. Dette er en roman lodder dypere og rommer mer enn selve _handlingen_. Den veksler mellom førsteperson og tredjeperson, mellom nåtid og tredvetallet, mellom moderat bokmål og klassisk riksmål. Jeg tror den har en handling av en sånn type at noen vil kalle det "spoilere" å gjenfortelle, så jeg lar være. Jeg sier bare: Kristine Næss, dere! Les, les!

[Neda Alaei · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historiene om Bea Britt, farmoren hennes Cecilie og bestevenninnas datter Beate blir fortalt parallelt i denne boka, og selv skal jeg innrømme at jeg ikke helt skjønner sammenhengen. Jeg ville liksom aller helst bare lese om hovedpersonen og det historien faktisk handlet om.

[Åsne · Rating 2 out of 5]

De første 100 sidene er veldig gode. Så går det bare nedover. Hva har hun tenkt?

[jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m feeling super conflicted about how to rate this one. It took me a while to get into it, but I think I took extra time to read this as I was savouring every word. I connected to each of the three main female narrators in different ways. Are they always likeable? Hell no. Are they humanely flawed? Absolutely. Are they unreliable narrators? Entirely possible.

This novel isn’t the Nordic crime story that I think the blurb is in danger of suggesting. Luckily, I was instead drawn to this by the high praise professed on the front by Knausgård, and was not disappointed by this in the least, as I rarely read crime. There is a dark unsettling tone throughout that definitely strikes me as ‘Scandinavian’, but mostly the pacing is slow, and only occasionally did I get a domestic thriller vibe.

Much like Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor (which I wasn't enjoying, so never finished), this story is less about the crime that takes place and more about the lives of three women that are somehow connected to this or each other.

I’m not sure I’m happy with the ending. In particular, I don’t think Beate’s narrative was sufficiently wrapped up, and this was especially a disappoint to me as I connected to her the most. Either way, I suspect I will be thinking about this novel and these women for a while to come.

[John Hatley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although it always takes me a bit longer to read Norwegian than it does to read English, German or Swedish, by the final third of this book I was turning the pages as though I had forgotten what language it was written in. A notable book!

[Geraldine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good in parts but I found it difficult to remember who was who, as it switched between the lives of 3 women. Also, I thought it was going to be a crime novel, which it was as well, except we never find out who committed the crime - at least, I don't think we do!

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story features two lonely women dissatisfied with their lives. Bea Britt now lives in an upscale neighborhood in western Oslo. Her grandmother lived in the same house in the 1940s and 50s. Both women live withdrawn lives. Is loneliness hereditary? Both also enjoy alcohol.
The story of these two women is intertwined with a police investigation. One morning, Bea Britt is waken up by the police investigating the disappearance of a twelve-year-old girl in the neighborhood. The girl's backpack is found in her garden, making Bea Britt a suspect. Anxious, Bea Britt develops signs of paranoia.
At first, the story captivated me, but my interest waned. The narrative is repetitive and too slow. I find it regrettable to intertwine the portraits of these women with a missing person investigation.

[Rebecka · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is hard to grip. Why the parallel stories? I couldn’t find any obvious connection between them, as in why we got the grandmother story, the main character story, and the acquaintance story. Except for providing three portraits of three difficult, mostly unpleasant women, what was the point?

I didn’t particularly like any of the stories. It started out very intriguing, but it’s like the author lost her way halfway through the book.

[Antonia Neeven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skulle jo skjønt at en norsk prisbelønnet bok ville være noe filosofisk virrvarr :P Synes hun har noen interessante tanker og boken er ikke veldig treig, men hva er poenget og hvordan har noe noe som helst med saken å gjøre?

[Ida · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interessant og godt skrevet bok. Jeg likte spesielt delene med farmoren.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10 stars

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stilted text, maybe from the translation.
Just doesn’t flow as I read it

[Lena M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting perspective on women in three generations; how your childhood determines you, how much many struggle with defining their lives and themselves and how this is expressed differently in different times and social settings. The side story of the girl that disappeared gave a drive to the story, but at the same time I found it a bit disturbing.

[Mei-Lian Inglis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I DON’T UNDERSTAND THE ENDING OF THIS BOOK. SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME - I FEEL THIS IS INCOMPLETE!!!!!! :’( !!!!!!