See You Tomorrow – fiction set in Stavanger (definitely Scandinavian noir)

8th September 2014

See You Tomorrow by Tore Renberg. Translated by Séan Kinsella – fiction set in Stavanger, Norway.

A 550 page book about the seamier side of life in a Norwegian city transformed by oil wealth. Three parallel stories that come together to depress and disturb. First that of Pål, a middle ranking civil servant, who has got himself into unmanageable debt though online gambling – trying valiantly to bring up his two teenage daughters, Malene and Tiril by himself (his wife having long ago left him). Second that of Daniel William, a delinquent teenager with two girlfriends – Sandra and Veronika – who literally fight over him. And third that of a motley small time criminal gang – Jan Inge and his sister Chessi living with Chessi’s boyfriend, Rudi. The fourth member of the gang, a Korean named Tong, being locked up in prison for much of the book.

Each short chapter in the book is written either about or from the perspective of one of the above characters. A device which I found distracting in the beginning as there is at that stage no connection between the characters in the three stories – but which becomes a lot more understandable as the stories and characters merge and overlap.

There is no doubt that See You Tomorrow is a depressing book that looks at at the underbelly of life. I found it hard to relate to, and empathise with, most of the characters because their lives are so alien to us. Yes, one can sort of sympathise with Malene and Tiril, but that really is about as far as it goes. The routine violence, the casual sex, and the general nastiness that goes on are not attractive. Yet, and I have to admit this, it a book that I have thought about a lot – and returned to – since I finished it a couple of days ago. There is something about it that is haunting… Very definitely Scandinavian noir.

The author and the book have received a lot of praise both in Norway (where it sold an impressive 18,000 in hardback) and now internationally. ‘Tore Renberg is one of Norway’s finest young writers’ – Jo Nesbø. ‘The greatest storyteller of his generation’ – Aftenposten. ‘Renberg is one of the most significant epic poets of Norwegian contemporary literature. His ability to read the pulse of a social set, the spirit of an age and an absolutely credible cast of characters is first grade’ – Tønsberg Blad. Praise which I sort of get – but, at the same time, sort of don’t get. I think, to return to the point I made in the last paragraph, my ‘failure’ is that I just find it hard to ‘connect’ with any of the characters. And that, to me, is an important part of any book.

In TripFiction ‘location’ terms See You Tomorrow is an excellent read. There is (authors and publishers, please note – it is really helpful) a hand drawn map of Stavanger (pictured above) at the beginning of the book, which makes it possible to follow the characters in their movement around the city. It brings the story and the location to life.

So, where do I end up? A book that made a big impression on me, and that is good. But also a book that I found frustrating because of my alienation from the characters. I simply found it hard to identify with any of them. And ultimately that drops my rating.

The cover is certainly worth a mention. Daring red, black and lime green, and the paper edging is a striking red. So much so that we have decided to feature it on our Pinterest Board “Book Covers that caught our eye”

Tony for the TripFiction team

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