Else Dybdahl lives with her daughter and granddaughter in a house without men, having built a life for them all that withstands the village's whispers; but the return of a figure from her past forces her to confront a truth that she has kept buried for thirty years.

In 1974 when Else, then fifteen, lives with her mother and father in a house she is desperate to escape from. Else's father makes a meagre living as a shrimper and spends much of his time holed up in the boat shed drinking moonshine, while her mother seeks solace in prayer. Else's life is forever changed when a circus arrives in the village, bringing with it tales from afar and promises of exotic escape. It leaves the reader with a riddle that tantalises until the final pages of this quietly gripping, atmospheric debut.

Set in the harsh but beautiful landscape of Norway's southern coast, The Strong Man is a haunting story about yearning for a life beyond the one prescribed by the circumstances of birth. The bonds of love between mothers and daughters give them strength to make heroic sacrifices, to survive heartbreak and judgement and to allow the human spirit to endure. With echoes of The Shipping News, this prize worthy novel combines mystery and revelation with a domestic drama of deep and lasting resonance.

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