The Girl on the Bergen to Sogndal Ferry
As the rest of us enter the 2020s, it's dispiriting to note that one of Norway's foremost crime writers remains firmly wedged in the 1920s.
The Girl on the Bergen to Sogndal Ferry, by Knut Ove Knutson Midnight Thrillers, 83 pp, 453kr, December 2019
As the rest of us enter the 2020s, it's dispiriting to note that one of Norway's foremost crime writers remains firmly wedged in the 1920s (if we're being generous). For evidence of Knut Ove Knutson's troglodytic tendencies, we need look no further than the title of his latest thriller.
To refer to the novel's protagonist as a mere "girl" is, in a word, troubling. In two words, extremely troubling. To infantilise a fully grown woman would be concerning enough, but nowhere in this latest book are we told the title character's age, or even their preferred pronouns. In other words, Knutson's title forcibly and violently genders his protagonist against their will. And having gendered his protagonist, Knutson adds a further insult by using "girl" to suggest vulnerability and fragility. A "girl" is always the object of the male gaze, whereas a "woman" at least possesses a measure of hard-won independence.
But what cis white men like Knutson really struggle to understand is that, in this new age of gender fluidity, stale old binaries such as "girl/boy" or "woman/man" no longer apply. Instead, twenty-first century readers deserve to read about the inspiring yet relatable adventures of the Nonbinary Person on the Bergen to Sogndal Ferry. Imagine, from the very first page, what a vastly superior volume that would be.
A Nonbinary Person on the Bergen to Sogndal Ferry wouldn't need protection from any of the nefarious characters representing the militant wing of the Sogn og Fjordane independence movement. (Certainly not if that protection is offered principally by an alcoholic former member of the police force.) Instead, they would be willing to fight for a united Vestlandet, no doubt kicking plenty of ass along the way. That's the character Knutson's readers truly deserve, as opposed to the delicate wallflower foisted upon them by this latest novel.