Nordic Book Club, August 2025

Join us in August as we read and discuss Maria Navarro Skaranger’s Emily Forever (2021), translated from the Norwegian by Martin Aitken (2024). 

From the Publisher (World Editions):

Who is that girl? Just look at her.

Em’s nineteen years old and pregnant. Her boyfriend Pablo has gone out “to sort something out” and hasn’t returned. Her mother, who raised Emily alone, moves into the little flat to help. Meanwhile, Em’s neighbour, who may or may not be a clergyman, wonders if it’s normal to be so infatuated with someone you’ve never spoken to. Em’s boss at the supermarket might have feelings for her too, if only she’d notice. 

Emily Forever is a poignant, achingly hard-hitting book about class and about digging deep to find what it takes to get by. At the same time, it’s a deeply original exploration of how a girl like Emily is seen from the outside, by those…