Out Stealing Horses

by Per Petterson

Published 3 November 2005
In 1948, when he is fifteen, Trond spends a summer in the country with his father. The events - the accidental death of a child, his best friend's feelings of guilt and eventual disappearance, his father's decision to leave the family for another woman - will change his life forever. An early morning adventure out stealing horses leaves Trond bruised and puzzled by his friend Jon's sudden breakdown. The tragedy which lies behind this scene becomes the catalyst for the two boys' families gradually to fall apart. As a 67-year-old man, and following the death of his wife, Trond has moved to an isolated part of Norway to live in solitude. But a chance encounter with a character from the fateful summer of 1948 brings the painful memories of that year flooding back, and will leave Trond even more convinced of his decision to end his days alone.

To Siberia

by Per Petterson

Published 3 September 1998
A study of the relationship between brothers and sisters, with the narrator looking back to her childhood, when she was heavily influenced by her brother Jesper. As she looks back, she reflects on the harsh reality of her life and the direction it led her.