Say hello to Nusse, an unusually smart robot who has been programmed to help an old grandmother. Grandma, alias Gomo, wants to spend her last years at the cottage. Nusse must keep the cabin neat and tidy, and in addition be a conversational partner who supports Gomo’s view of cabin life. This programming quite logically leads to Nusse “eliminating” the tastelessly rich son of old mother, and his wife as well. The brutal double murder forms the starting point for the novel. WARNING: An imaginary killer robot pictured in London in 2013 during a demonstration to “stop killer robots”. Autonomous weapon systems that use AI (artificial intelligence) to self-select targets have been described as “the third revolution in warfare, after gunpowder and nuclear weapons”. Photo: Carl Court / Afp Mr and Mrs Rotar, and they stand for completely different cottage values than Gomo. The way she, and thus Nusse sees it, cabins should be simple starting points for healthy outdoor life. When Nusse turns the cabin into a bloody crime scene, he solves several problems, but creates quite a few new ones, to put it mildly. Thus, the action in the novel “Hyttebok” begins. Hytteko’s Nusse may seem like a slightly too silly name for something as high-tech as a robot, but he is named after the first Norwegian-made electronic computer from 1954. The full name of it is Norsk Universall Siffermaskin, Sequensstyrt Elektronisk. That is, Nusse. Nusse takes the lead in the novel, and despite being basically loyal to Gomo, he is nevertheless quite critical of the contents of the family’s cabin book. Anyone who has leafed through, or even written a fresh and cheerful mood report from “a brilliant weekend” in a cabin book, will probably recognize that in Nusse’s rather critical analysis of the genre. The novel opens with the epigram “Yes, now we’re having a good time, you guys.” Another classic from the cliché cabinet. Stretches the ribbon well It is well worth noting the formulation “a deep truth about the Norwegian people”. When I look closely enough at the novel, I think I can trace this ambition in the author as well. He doesn’t just want to write satirically about the decline in Norwegian cabin life, from Gerhardsen’s ideal of simple cabins out in nature, to ostentatious palaces with heating cables in the garage and Jacuzzis on the terrace. THE REAL NUSSE: The first Norwegian-produced electronic computer, completed in 1954. The name is an abbreviation for Norsk Universall Siffermaskin, Sequensstyrt Elektronisk. Photo: Finn Larsen/Norsk Teknisk Museum Arneberg will also create a satirical contemporary novel. To achieve that, he has equipped poor Gomo with a range of quite startling modern opinions. It is from Gomo Nusse that it has its value base. Here, the author stretches the rope quite far in order to take a satirical look at “the Norwegian people”. It will stand the test. The idea of a robot that thinks like a grandmother for a large part of the time is original in any case and the implementation is impressive, despite the fact that Gomo ends up in a dead end. The comic does the trick The novel is at its best when the absurdities grow out of Nusse’s dual nature: he shows great cleverness in the fight to get the two now orphaned Eyde children out on a ski trip, as Gomo thought they should. And falls deeply in love with the other technological gadget in the cabin, namely the combustion toilet “Cinderella”. NUSSE IN USE: “Nusse” was the first Norwegian computer. In this school television program from 1984, presenter Kirsten Schøyen gets to try the wonder. Because yes, Nusse has feelings completely on his own, and thinks it is very demanding to cope with the others messing with his girlfriend. The satire on cabin life and everything else is clear enough, and the idea that a robot can kill is an extreme example of AI on a wild road. It’s ok, but not groundbreaking. What makes “Hyttebok” something in itself is the absurd, the grotesque and the comical that happens when Nusse has to tidy things up. While the debate about artificial intelligence is raging among experts and the general public, it is refreshing to have a novel that takes up the phenomenon and turns it into completely different genres than dystopia, without completely losing sight of the seriousness. news reports Photo: Flamme forlag Title: “Hyttebok” Author: Ole-Petter Arneberg Category: Fiction Pages: 141 Year of publication: 2023 Publisher: Flamme forlag
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“Hyttebook” by Ole-Petter Arneberg – Reviews and recommendations
