Hilde Rød-Larsen: Diamond Evenings

DIAMOND EVENINGS is the story of a human life, told through glimpses and fragments, and unfolding in three parts.

Agnete is a middle-aged woman in control. Her days follow a steady rhythm, with a good job and a body that still functions as it should. But then she begins to lose her hair. Is her body trying to tell her something?

One autumn morning, Agnete’s husband leaves to work abroad for an extended period, and she finds herself facing a few quiet months in which to search for the right words for what her body has been trying to tell her for some time. She looks back on her younger self as a student in London, where she drifted into a relationship that seemed bright and promising, but was anything but.

DIAMOND EVENINGS sparked considerable debate upon its release, not least because the novel claimed to be fiction, yet was revealed to be based on real events.

We will discuss this, as well as the #MeToo movement and—depending on what each of us has read—perhaps compare it with other novels from the same period that explore abusive power dynamics. We will also talk about the longing to be seen and to be able to tell one’s own story.

Hilde Rød-Larsen (Norway, 1974) is an author, translator, and holds a degree in sociology.

Host for the evening: Katrine Ekman

Coffee and tea will be served at the book salon.