AshehougAgency

Adam, the Odd One Out

They were seven-graders, and they spotted me at once. They cheered, and one of them howled like a wolf.
“A fart!” one of them shouted.
That’s what they call us, the ones in the fourth grade; farts. It’s as though we smell bad, and sometimes the others will hold their noses and run off when they see us. But not when they come across one of us who’s on his own.
They formed a circle around me and smiled in that smart way so typical of people who think they have the upper hand over somebody else.
“A tiny fart caught in the trap” said one, who actually wasn’t that big himself.
“OK” said another, and then a third one said yes, and that was the green light for them all to start doing something only they knew what was.

Adam is in the fourth grade. He has no friends, but he’s good at maths. He actually thinks he’s doing rather well, at least a whole lot better than Monster-Eve; a girl in his parallel class who’s a victim of constant bullying. Who is wearing glasses and surrounded by horrible rumours. If you’re on your own and you meet her, then you run – unless you’re one of those who enjoy taking dangerous risks, that is.

Suddenly one day Monster-Eve begins in Adam’s class and, as if that weren’t enough: She gets the desk right behind him. Adam panics. She has plenty of stuff to avenge, and Adam is the perfect victim. Adam does all he can do to avoid Eve, but one day he gets a note that says: "Meet me behind the kiosk after school..."

With this novel, Torun Lian once again demonstrates her unique ability to treat serious issues with humour and warmth.

Praise for Adam, the Odd One Out:

"A subtle, well-written and well-composed story about the anti-hero Adam who fights back against his bullies. In an underdog story which on one level is rather dark, not least because all the adult characters are so helpless and blind, Adam and his “ Monster Eve” succeed in converting their weaknesses into strength and in gaining respect and friendship. A tyrannical big brother, a newly love-struck father and a neurotic mother are forced to watch Adam get up and set the terms, and his own inherent pessimism is put to shame. Adam’s self-irony, tragicomic situations and the caricatured characters make the story laughter-provokingly funny. Between the lines we read about a vulnerable child who deals with an unsafe existence through daydreams and gallows humour, and it is precisely the balance between the vulnerable and the comical that makes this book so good"
(The jury's grounds for the Brage Prize nomination)

"Sore, strong and beautiful about bullying, friendship and falling in love. Written with humour and an oblique glance at a brutal reality, told through a naïve and innocent ten-year-old’s voice.…[Lian] depicts Adam’s thoughts and experiences with humour and warmth, tells the story in a lively and convincing manner and lets Adam see humoristic situations where others would despair. The story gives hope to children who, for one reason or another, become outsiders, and is a celebration of friendship. A worthy candidate for the Brage Prize, also nominated to Ark’s Prize for Best Children’s Book"
(Aftenposten)

First published: 2005, Aschehoug Children and Young Adults

Torun Lian: Biography and bibliography

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