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.

Publisher Review

'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 * 'Lyrical and understated. Readers will relish this simple tribute to the preciousness of days spent with loved ones.' 'The literary masterpiece of 2026.'