Will and Testament transformed Vigdis Hjorth from a major Scandinavian writer into an international literary force.

Inspired by a highly publicised family dispute but refusing the comforts of autobiography, the novel follows Bergljot, who is drawn back into contact with her estranged family after an inheritance dispute reopens long-buried accusations of childhood sexual abuse. 

Hjorth writes with extraordinary psychological precision, allowing thought to accumulate in long, recursive movements that mirror the rhythms of trauma and obsession. Rather than presenting easy moral certainties, she explores the instability of memory, the politics of belief, and the impossible position of telling the truth when an entire family depends on its suppression. Charlotte Barslund's superb translation preserves the novel's relentless, hypnotic intensity. A landmark of contemporary Norwegian literature, and essential reading alongside Annie Ernaux, Rachel Cusk and Tove Ditlevsen.

2019 Verso paperback edition, translated from the Norwegian by Charlotte Barslund. Light shelf wear with a clean, bright interior and a tight binding.