The plot itself is not original: Nora has to spend the entire summer holiday with her grandmother in the country, a grandmother she barely knows. Nora would like to be at home, even if her mother and stepfather are going to work. She has no friends and is used to her own company. Then the summer will be something completely different than she had feared. It will be “The summer all happened”, and it has become a really nice children’s book. For Iben Akerlie creates an original story based on a well-known frame. She writes entertaining at the same time as she tackles challenges Norwegian children may face every day: homesickness, discrimination, racism. Also infatuation, then. That is not least serious. So the middle-aged grandmother lives in the village. She has worked for many years as a journalist in war zones, including Afghanistan. That’s one of the reasons she and Nora have not seen much of each other. When Nora is now to be with her for many weeks, against her will, her grandmother gives her free rein. Excerpt from “The summer all happened” by Iben Akerlie “I’m certainly not that good with children, I am,” she says. (…)I do not know what to say. “I’m not a child,” I try. “Haha,” laughs Grandma. “Did I say something funny?” “No, okay,” she says, “then we say it.” (…) I take an oversized piece of bread slice. “But what are you, then?” asks grandma.I chew. Swallowing. “I do not know,” I reply, “a kind of middle-aged man, perhaps?” Grandma smiles. I still do not understand why what I say is funny. “And what do people do in the summer?” asks Grandma. I shrug. “Fisherman?” she suggests. «Bathing? Going on a voyage of discovery? » Nora walks in the woods, and there she meets Abbas, who has the greenest eyes in the world! He makes it crackle on the inside. Yes, the two find the tone, and even Nora, who often does not find the words, finds plenty to talk about with Abbas. Boredom is good Most children want experience of being bored, even though we now have so much technology at hand that it should be impossible. Boredom is good – not for morality – but because it can lead to ingenuity. Nora is curious and finds some of her grandmother’s old binders, where she learns more about her background as a war reporter. The fact that her grandmother’s stay in Afghanistan is woven with Abbas and his family in a brutal way becomes a gloomy and problematic realization. What Nora also discovers, this summer, is that people are treated differently according to skin color and background. Through her friendship with Abbas, she gets to see Norwegian racism with her own eyes. Here are adults who do not want him well. Flow of conflicts As an author, Iben Akerlie seeks conflict. Conflicts create excitement, create momentum and the desire to read. There can be internal conflicts as well as external ones. In “Summer Everything Happened” there is a flurry of conflicts. Still, it does not feel too much. I may experience it that way because Akerlie gives the conflicts time to unfold, to hurt and to work. Rather than explain the conflicts in Afghanistan, she tackles them and is more interested in the challenges those who have fled face in this country. Nora will have to make ethical choices, and of course she has the courage to do the right thing. But she does not act spontaneously, Akerlie lets her go for a round where she has to find her own values. Can Nora’s reflections make more people think about what they would do in the same situation? One can object that it gets too sweet. I rather think the story is realistic. The author does not do all the characters justice, until they are too sparingly drawn. But the dilemma she portrays is real enough. Writes better Iben Akerlie debuted in 2016 with the children’s book «Lars is lol». There she wrote boldly about something as unpleasant as betraying a friend. When this friend also had Down syndrome, it hurt extra. I like the ambition, but at the time I thought that the language became too mature and distant. With her third book for children, Akerlie has found formulations that are much closer to those she writes for. So yes, Akerlie writes better and better. “Summer Everything Happened” is an absolutely readable novel for Norwegian children on their way into their teens. More books by Iben Akerlie: news reviewer Photo: Aschehoug publishing house Title: Summer all happened Author: Iben Akerlie Genre: Children’s book 9 + Number of pages: 181 Publisher: Aschehoug Published: Spring 2022
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“Summer Everything Happened” by Iben Akerlie – Reviews and recommendations
