To Siberia A Novel

Per Petterson's raw, poetic novel follows the intense kinship and agonizing separation of a brother and sister in World War II-era Denmark. Their parents' neglect leaves them wandering the streets of their small village as young children, dreaming of a different life. The sister fantasizes about escaping to Siberia, but that dream seems ever more remote as her brother becomes a young man, and disappears into the resistance movement against the Nazi occupation. Their separation begins years of wandering for her.First published in English in 1998,To Siberiais a portrait of a sister and brother bound together powerfully by birth, and separated painfully by circumstance.

PER PETTERSON won the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for the novel Out Stealing Horses, which has been translated into more than thirty languages and was named a Best Book of 2007 by The New York Times and Entertainment Weekly. Before publishing his first book, Petterson worked as a bookseller in Norway.

“Brilliant . . . a darkly beautiful story.” —Los Angeles Times

“Reading a Petterson novel is like falling into a northern landscape painting—all shafts of light and clear, palpable chill.” —Time Magazine
“To Siberia succeeds in one of the greatest aims of fiction, to transport us to another time and place that makes us see our world with clearer vision, and to recognize the similarities and differences of human nature across time and distance.” —The Dallas Morning News

“Coaxes readers into a sphere of loneliness with the precise prose and keen intellect of a masterful writer.” —Star-Tribune (Minneapolis)

“Petterson's writing is so exact and piercing that, like poetry, it distills [the narrator's] experiences and feelings into imagery that is powerful beyond words. The effect is beautiful and moving, letting the reader connect with the character's vitality and reflect on life with the same fullness and serenity that she does.” —The Seattle Times

“Striking . . . Petterson creates a surprising range of effects, from the silvery surfaces of childhood memories to the twilight depths of shadows falling.” —The Boston Globe