Join us for the book launch of bestselling Norwegian author Lars Mytting’s The Reindeer Hunters! With moderator Maren Johnson, he’ll discuss the international bestseller and gripping historical novel set in the world of his novel The Bell in the Lake, out November 22 in translation by Deborah Dawkin from The Overlook Press.

The year is 1903 in the village of Butangen, Norway, and 22 years have passed since Astrid Hekne, a local girl, gave birth to twin sons. One of them, Jehans, is as rebellious as his mother. Cast out from the village, he lives on a struggling homestead in the mountains, where he fishes and hunts reindeer for his livelihood. One August morning, Jehans kills a massive reindeer buck and, at the same moment, encounters an enigmatic hunter — a young Englishman named Victor Harrison.

Meanwhile, at the new church in the village, Pastor Kai Schweigaard is tormented by his past betrayal: the sale of the old stave church, including the loss of the church’s mystical twin sister bells. Kai becomes obsessed with finding the long-lost ancient tapestry woven by the conjoined sisters in whose memory the bells were cast, with the hope that it will bring him redemption.

As waterfalls are tamed and the first flash of electric light is seen in the village night, World War I approaches, while brother stands against brother.

Conceived on an epic scale, The Reindeer Hunters  is a novel about love and bitter rivalries, sorrow and courage, and a world with a mythic and mystical undercurrent battling the pull of the future. This event will take place as a Zoom webinar. Registration is required at the link above.

“In this spellbinding historical saga, love and lore have an alchemistic effect” (Foreword Reviews).

“The world Mytting creates is immersive, including descriptions of reindeer hunting and the feel of a scythe on a whetstone. The result is a fascinating story with centuries old echoes, their muted peal resonating like the separated sister bells” (Booklist).

About the Author

Lars Mytting (b. 1968), one of Norway’s bestselling writers, is the author of The Bell in the Lake, an Indie Next pick, and Norwegian Wood: Chopping, Stacking, and Drying Wood the Scandinavian Way. His books have sold more than two million copies in 20 languages.

The Sixteen Trees of the Somme was awarded the Norwegian Booksellers’ Prize and was longlisted for the Dublin Literary Prize. He lives with his wife, their two daughters and three forest cats in Elverum, a small town in the forest district of Norway.

About the Moderator

Maren Johnson is Associate Professor of Nordic Studies at Luther College (Decorah, IA) where she holds the Tomson Family Endowed Chair in Norwegian Language and Modern Nordic Culture. Additionally, she serves as the director for the Richard L. and Judith A. Torgerson Center for Nordic Studies at Luther College.

Her teaching and research focus on contemporary Norwegian literature and Henrik Ibsen. Maren also serves on the board of Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum (Decorah, IA) and is an instructor in the folk art school through Vesterheim.