HighBridge Audio

Skip to Main Content »

Category Navigation:

Search Site
 

Across the China Sea

Audiobook
Fiction: Literary
Unabridged   6.75 hour(s)
Publication date: 09/05/2017

Across the China Sea

A Novel

Available from major retailers or BUY FROM AMAZON
Audio CD ISBN:9781681687087
Digital Download ISBN:9781681687094

Summary

With warmth, gentle humor, and deep compassion, Gaute Heivoll portrays an unconventional family as it navigates an uncertain and often unkind world.

Be the first to review this product
Email to a Friend


Product Description

In the waning days of the German occupation of Norway, Karin and her husband move from Oslo to a tiny village in the south with their young son, the narrator. There they aim to live out their dream of caring for those who can't look after themselves. They have spent months building a modest house with rooms for patients, and it's soon filled with three adult men who are psychologically unstable—including Karin's uncle Josef, who suffered a head injury in a carriage accident—and five siblings whose parents have been declared unfit, and who are the subjects of much conversation in the village. This small and idiosyncratic community persists for nearly three decades.

After his parents' deaths, the son returns to clean out this unusual home. The objects of his childhood retain a talisman-like power over him, and key objects—including an orange crate where he and his sister slept as infants, Josef's medal of honor, his mother's beloved piano, and many others—unlock vivid memories.

Reviews/Praise

“Alex Bloch, who lends the perfect intonation and quiet drama to this Norwegian story of Karin and her husband, who move from Oslo to a small village to build new lives at the end of the German occupation of Norway.” —Donovan Literary Services

“Heivoll is a first-rate storyteller . . . who not only entertains, but also shines a spotlight on values that are fundamental for us as individuals and as a society.” —Dagen

“A book with great warmth. . . . A remarkable tale about extraordinary lives.” –Telemarksavisa

Author Bio

Gaute Heivoll is the author of Before I Burn, which won the Brage Prize and was a finalist for the Critics Prize and the Booksellers' Prize in Norway. He lives in southern Norway.