Revelation to John
By Jonny Halberg
Former stand-up comedian John Kaupang travels back to the island of Skatøy to bury his father. His father, a beloved doctor, hanged himself at his office. There were many years of…
Description
Former stand-up comedian John Kaupang travels back to the island of Skatøy to bury his father. His father, a beloved doctor, hanged himself at his office. There were many years of hostility between John and his father, and letters appear during the preparations for the funeral that his father wrote about his life on Skatøy. John begins to investigate what his father really got up to and who he was behind his irreproachable humanitarian façade. His son eventually sets his sights on a man he doesn’t know who is ruled by forces he refuses to divulge. Meanwhile, the funeral is approaching. John has a strained relationship with his family and other islanders – relationships that only become more difficult following his father’s death.Revelation to John is a novel about people who switch between rejecting and clinging on to one another, and about what you should have known – and may never know – about those closest to you.
Product information
Pages240
CategoryNovels
Praise
Halberg comes back strong. We cannot escape the past. It’s slippery and difficult to grasp. Revelation to John is a powerful reminder of that. […] The dialogue sits on the page with great self-assurance, and are marked by the author’s ear and keen eye for characters and the ways they express themselves. […] The novel flows well but is by no means superficial. Quite the contrary. In long sections it is as though the story is reading itself from the pace alone. It’s a pleasure to note that Jonny Halberg is back. We have to hope that there’s more in the works.
Leif Ekle, NRKHe has a genuine narrative voice, characterised by detailed observations, well-drawn characters and effective descriptions of the environment. The plot, the conflicts, the expressed confrontations and the unspoken tensions between the characters are told in such a way that all you can do is turn the next page.
Inger Bentzrud, Dagbladet
