English language
Published Oct. 17, 2023 by Open Letter.
Natural Causes
(0 reviews)
For two decades, Elin has been a regular general practitioner. For at least as long, she has been married to Aksel. But before Aksel there was Bjørn, who a year ago suddenly reached out to her on Facebook, and who has since turned Elin’s world upside down. She’s moved into her office, where her patients march in, all day long, with all their disgusting little infirmities and ailments. And though she likes spending the extra time in her office—even though she has to sleep on her examiniation table, bathe in the employee restroom, and hide from the security guard when he makes his rounds at night—Elin feels abandoned and even more disillusioned with life and people than she did before she stumbled into her affair.
Nina Lykke’s Natural Causes is a fierce study of people who try to keep going. At the same time, the novel is a sharp, good-natured …
For two decades, Elin has been a regular general practitioner. For at least as long, she has been married to Aksel. But before Aksel there was Bjørn, who a year ago suddenly reached out to her on Facebook, and who has since turned Elin’s world upside down. She’s moved into her office, where her patients march in, all day long, with all their disgusting little infirmities and ailments. And though she likes spending the extra time in her office—even though she has to sleep on her examiniation table, bathe in the employee restroom, and hide from the security guard when he makes his rounds at night—Elin feels abandoned and even more disillusioned with life and people than she did before she stumbled into her affair.
Nina Lykke’s Natural Causes is a fierce study of people who try to keep going. At the same time, the novel is a sharp, good-natured commentary on a society where wealth and abundance has made us demanding and torpid. Lykke keeps a fine balance between stereotypical exaggeration and uncomfortable, embarrassing recognition.