Troll

The troll lives in the forest, which is shrinking by the day. Her fate is tied to the earth, and she suffers for it. Far away sits the power-hungry king. The townspeople fear him. They have little choice but to follow his orders, to slaughter the animals and cut down trees. To make it stop, the troll must punish them. In the cracks, there is love, maybe even hope. Erik and Petra have both retreated from the community. They find each other. Soon Petra is pregnant. But can their new union bear the presence of a child? Karoline turns to magic. If only she can make her oats and money disappear, the king’s men won’t be able to take them from her. But the spell isn't reliable, and she goes to further extremes to rebel against the king. She is admired for her activism: by the troll, and by Kaj. Even if he doesn’t quite understand Karoline, her presence has a soothing effect on him. At home he struggles to keep Emil alive, who lies all day on a goatskin rug on the floor. The fox sees how much the troll is suffering. To give her a break, he takes it upon himself to carry out her work. But soon his own instincts betray him, and the troll can make no exceptions. Timeless and unforgettable, hilarious and upsetting, surreal yet infinitely tender, reading Rasmus Daugbjerg is like discovering Hans Christian Andersen for the first time. Translated from Danish by Hazel Evans.