This is the best book by a Norwegian author I have ever read—it beats out “Hunger,” also by Hamsun.

But seriously, this should be required reading for college English majors at the very least. An incredible book, told with a deft touch. Somewhere between Thomas Hardy and Bukowski. This one is going on the top shelf, with Celine, Fante, Camus, Richard Ford, & Dostoevsky.