An intelligent single woman’s life lacks focus. She should learn to drive. How hard can it be? Very, it turns out, in Dorthe Nors’ wry, poignant tale. Translated by Misha Hoekstra.

Six months in, Sonja is still baffled by the basics and her driving instructor is still eccentric. Sonja is also struggling with an acute case of vertigo, a sister who won’t talk to her, a masseuse who is determined to solve her spiritual problems, and with being 40-something. Frenetic city life is a constant reminder that every man (and woman) is an island: she misses her rural childhood where ceilings were high and the sky was endless. Shifting gears and changing direction is not proving easy…

Shortlisted
The Man Booker International Prize 2017
Published by
Pushkin Press
Publication date
Dorthe Nors

Dorthe Nors

About the Author

Dorthe Nors was born in 1970 in Denmark, and studied literature at the University of Aarhus.
More about Dorthe Nors
Misha Hoekstra

Misha Hoekstra

About the Translator

Misha Hoekstra was born in the US in 1963.
More about Misha Hoekstra