Berlin Poplars

Book excerpt: On a remote farm in northern Norway, eighty-year-old Anna Neshov is rushed to hospital after suffering a stroke. Her three sons have not spoken in some time. Margido, a devout Christian, works in Trondheim as a funeral director. Erlend, a successful window dresser, lives a life of luxury in a penthouse in Copenhagen, while Tor, the eldest brother, remains rearing pigs on the decaying family farm. Aware of her failing health, the trio reluctantly reunite over the winter holidays, where unexpected guests and the question of inheritance prompt the revealing of some bizarre, and devestating, truths. Winner of the Riksmål Prize in Norway.