The Guests

A married couple borrows a luxurious home on the Norwegian fjords, entangling themselves in a web of lies when they pretend to be the owners. Chilling, darkly funny psychological suspense by the author of The Bird Tribunal.

Married couple Karin and Kai are looking for a pleasant escape from their busy lives, and reluctantly accept an offer to stay in a luxurious holiday home in the Norwegian fjords. Instead of finding a relaxing retreat, however, their trip becomes a reminder of everything lacking in their own lives, and in a less-than-friendly meeting with their new neighbors, Karin tells a little white lie...

Against the backdrop of the glistening water and within the claustrophobic walls of the ultra-modern house, Karin’s insecurities blossom, and her lie grows ever bigger, entangling her and her husband in a nightmare spiral of deceits with absolutely no means of escape...

Simmering with suspense and dark humor, The Guests is a gripping psychological drama about envy and aspiration... and something more menacing, hiding just below that glittering surface.

Agnes Ravatn (b. 1983) is an author and columnist. She made her literary début with the novel Week 53 (Veke 53) in 2007. Since then she has written three critically acclaimed and award-winning essay collections: Standing Still (Stillstand), 2011, Popular Reading (Folkelesnad), 2011, and Operation Self-discipline (Operasjon sjøldisiplin), 2014. In these works, Ravatn shows her unique, witty voice and sharp eye for human fallibility.

Rosie Hedger was born in Scotland and completed her MA (Hons) in Scandinavian Studies at the University of Edinburgh. She has lived and worked in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, and now lives in York where she works as a freelance translator. Rosie was a candidate in the British Center for Literary Translation’s mentoring scheme for Norwegian in 2012, mentored by Don Bartlett.