AshehougAgency

For What it's Worth

Jan Olav Valen Grinde lives on an inherited farm where he rents out the grounds to other farmers, and the money is pouring in. He glares at the neighbours from his middle-aged bachelor existence; what is most disheartening is possibly the fact that Fritzen has built a new road parallel to Grinde’s old one, like a paved warning finger, pointing to lack of cooperativeness. Jan Olav allows himself to pursue vindictiveness – until one day when the student Annbjørg Karlsbrua shows up. But what does he have to offer her? And when it comes down to it – what is it all worth?

Odd W. Surén writes subtly, wisely and with black humour about the curses of neighbourly relations and the price of love. He has received glowing reviews for his books, especially the novel Ways to Die and the collection of short stories All Access.

Praise for For What it's Worth:

"Humour and gravity in beautiful harmony”
(Bergens Tidende)
"... a sharp, cunning, good and entertaining portayal of Norwegian every-day-life. And not least, of quite a few of the Norwegian dialects”
(Dagsavisen)
"Odd W. Surén has written a book filled with humour, yet with a undertone of gravity through it all … a book one enjoys from page one!
( Moss Avis)

First published: 2010, Aschehough Fiction
Odd W. Surén: Biography and bibliography