James Franco Spits When He Talks

Sometimes you just have to break free. Kenneth grows up in a small town called Skien in Norway in a family marred by secrets. An out of control older sister, an uptight mother and a father who tries to keep it all together. Kenneth, both extremely headstrong and extremely sensitive, also tries to keep it together. This is why he wants his grandmother, whom he is very close to, to tell the truth about something that happened long ago. Kenneth conjures up a new reality for himself by making up stories and scouting for shooting stars to make wishes. But when someone tags ‘Kenneth is gay’ on the wall of the local cinema, where it stays emblazoned and undisturbed for two whole weeks, he no longer has a choice: he must escape. First to Oslo and later to New York, where he finds himself in a whirlwind of events and has nightmares about his writing classes at Columbia University. Years later when Kenneth returns to his childhood home, he brings along his boyfriend, a beautiful Black poet, and a plastic bag filled with brand new secrets.

James Franco spits when he talks portrays the struggle of the outsider - whether this be as an artist, a gay man or both - who does not feel at home in his family or in society. As a reader, regardless of age, orientation or gender, you can identify with this existential struggle. It is the confrontation between how others perceive you and how you want to see yourself. With chapters that unfold like short stories and a text driven by dialogue, James Franco spits when he talks is a sharp-witted coming of age story that both captures a millennial zeitgeist with its pop culture references, American slang and ‘90s lyrics while also exploring what it means to be yourself in these times.

“A well-composed, well-written, complex novel about growing up, formation and recognition, about saying goodbye, about coming out of the closet and finding yourself … An entertaining and compelling debut novel, written with a great love of telling stories by an author armed with rich language, an obvious storytelling talent and solid control of his literary techniques.” Stavanger Aftenblad

“Magnificent debut... Eikehaug masters the broad narrative, the intense renderings, the lingering, dreamy passages, and the psychologically penetrating and revealing descriptions.” VG  

“A literary feast.” Adresseavisen

“… A welcoming, Disney-sparkling language, contrived and unpolished all at once. It is both young and bittersweet in a riveting way, and a touching portrayal of a fragile and queer childhood in the 1990s.” Klassekampen

“... A delightful old-fashioned novel in all its loudmouthed generosity ... The author has so much to show and to tell, so many good descriptions and observations to share with his readers.” Dagens Næringsliv