Synopses & Reviews
On July 22, 2011, a bomb went off outside government buildings in Oslo, Norway, killing eight people and injuring more than two hundred. Less than two hours later, a gunman claimed sixty-nine lives in a shooting spree at a summer camp on the island of Utøya, while terrified and desperate youths tried to hide or swim to the mainland to escape.
Massacre in Norway is the first detailed, hour-by-hour account of the two sequential terrorist attacks by lone-wolf terrorist Anders Behring Breivik.
To inform his literary reportage, Stian Bromark compiled interviews with survivors, police officers, government employees, boatmen rescuers, and others who experienced the attacks—the deadliest in Norway since World War II. Massacre in Norway provides crucial, in-depth context for the story, including a riveting background portrait of Breivik, the right-wing extremist the police arrested, charged, and convicted of the crime, as well as a history of the Labor Party youth camp on Utøya and its significance in the countrys political landscape. An epilogue covers the trial in 2012 and interviews with the survivors.
Massacre in Norway delivers an insightful portrayal of the darkest day in modern Norwegian history.
Review
“By articulating the experiences that we can hardly bear to imagine, Bromark has contributed to demystifying the lunacy and exorcising the malevolent specters of the massacre.”—Sten Inge Jørgensen,
Verdens Gang, Norwegian daily newspaper
Review
“Stian Bromarks writing touches us deeply and offers unique insights into the individuals thoughts, doubts, faith, and feelings of loss as they teeter between life and death.”—Vidar Kvalshaug,
Aftenposten (
Evening Post, Norway)
Review
“Bromark has made a supreme effort to depict the Labor Youth camp on Utøya and the youngsters suffering, and the result shows. The book stands out as one of the better ones on the topic.”—Frank Rossavik,
Morgenbladet (
The Morning Paper, Norway)
Review
“As I was reading, I understood more of who we were that fateful day last year. The ‘We can here be understood as the Norwegian public. The random survivors who tell their stories here perform acts that are so mundane they could very well be each one of us. The many different response patterns of the individuals who were the victims of the massacre reflect the very reactions we could have had if we ourselves had been in the firing line.”—Knut Hoem, NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation)
About the Author
STIAN BROMARK works as a book reviewer and editor for the Norwegian newspaper
Dagsavisen. He has coauthored several books published in Norway. HON KHIAM LEONG has worked as a professional translator for twenty-five years. He lives and works in Oslo, Norway.