Dea Brovig

The evocation of place is wonderful; the writing fresh, the storytelling assured… Dea Brøvig vividly conjures up this Norwegian community and its terrible secrets and repressions. The story builds up with quiet power... with every word necessary.

Brøvig’s debut novel, with its eerie atmosphere… will leave an indelible mark on anyone who reads it.

A dark, evocative novel that hinges on the cost and consequences of silence. The characters – their passions and their predicaments – stayed with me long after I’d put the book down.

A finely-written debut, as eloquent about mothers and daughters as it is about men and women, with an immediacy to the writing that makes both time – then and now – and place – a small Norwegian town – fully realised and tangibly present.

[An] atmospheric story ... An accomplished and moving debut that lingers long in the mind.

A very fine debut novel indeed. The numbing cold and harsh beauty of the landscape are sharply realised. The writing itself has the translucent clarity of the ever-present, icy-green Skagerrak. Recommended to book clubs for its portrayal of the sheer strength of women.

Explosive, dark and tender, The Last Boat Home is a devastating novel about sacrifice, survival and a mother’s love. If you loved The Light Between Oceans or The Snow Child, this is for you. 
 
On the wind-swept southern coast of Norway, sixteen-year-old Else is out on the icy sea, dragging her oars through the waves while, above her, storm clouds are gathering. Surrounded by mountains, snow and white-capped water, she looks across the fjord and dreams of another life, of escape and faraway lands. 
 
Back on shore, her father sits alone in his boathouse with a jar of homebrew. In the Best Room, her mother covers her bruises and seeks solace in prayer. Each tries to hide the truth from this isolated, God-fearing community they call home. 
 
Until one night changes everything. 
 
More than thirty years later, the return of an old friend forces Else to relive the events that marked the end of her childhood. 
 
Explosive, dark and tender, The Last Boat Home is a devastating novel about sacrifice, survival and a mother’s love.

Dea Brovig

Praise for The Last Boat Home

The evocation of place is wonderful; the writing fresh, the storytelling assured… Dea Brøvig vividly conjures up this Norwegian community and its terrible secrets and repressions. The story builds up with qui ...

Brøvig’s debut novel, with its eerie atmosphere… will leave an indelible mark on anyone who reads it.

A dark, evocative novel that hinges on the cost and consequences of silence. The characters – their passions and their predicaments – stayed with me long after I’d put the book down.

The evocation of place is wonderful; the writing fresh, the storytelling assured… Dea Brøvig vividly conjures up this Norwegian community and its terrible secrets and repressions. The story builds up with qui ...

Brøvig’s debut novel, with its eerie atmosphere… will leave an indelible mark on anyone who reads it.

A dark, evocative novel that hinges on the cost and consequences of silence. The characters – their passions and their predicaments – stayed with me long after I’d put the book down.

The evocation of place is wonderful; the writing fresh, the storytelling assured… Dea Brøvig vividly conjures up this Norwegian community and its terrible secrets and repressions. The story builds up with qui ...

Brøvig’s debut novel, with its eerie atmosphere… will leave an indelible mark on anyone who reads it.

A dark, evocative novel that hinges on the cost and consequences of silence. The characters – their passions and their predicaments – stayed with me long after I’d put the book down.

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