Haymaker in Heaven (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781571311290)

From one of Norway's leading writers, translated into English for the very first time, comes a transatlantic novel of dreams, sacrifice, and transformation set at the turn of the twentieth century.

The year is 1874. Nesje is a recent widower with a young son, working as a haymaker on an estate in the town of Molde and steadily clearing his own small holding. Then he meets Serianna--an outsider, looking for work, who takes him fishing and smokes a pipe and is thoroughly unlike anyone he's met before. Soon the two fall in love and marry, and Nesje begins to dream of a prosperous future.

But prosperity is hard to come by. Some Norwegians--including Serianna's spirited sister, Gjertine--have begun to immigrate to the American West, attracted by the glimmer of land and commerce. One of Nesje's sons follows, while another moves to the city and becomes a wealthy merchant, and another is adopted by Serianna's childless brother and sister-in-law. In Norway and in America, however, the turn of the century is approaching: mechanization is superseding skilled labor, the moneyed classes are growing ever more powerful, and sacrifices don't always deliver what was promised.

Haymaker in Heaven is a sprawling saga--drawn from Edvard Hoem's own family history--and a vivid portrait of two countries at a critical moment of intersection.

Author: Edvard Hoem
ISBN-10: 1571311297
ISBN-13: 9781571311290
Publisher: Milkweed Editions
Language: English
Published: 03/08/2022
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.40w x 1.00d

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 12/01/2021
Booklist 01/01/2022 pg. 45