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Synopsis

Following a series of moves between shabby rentals, an unnamed mother and her sixteen-year-old daughter settle into a small apartment above the hairdresser's shop in the Danish island town they've always called home. It has always been just the two of them, so deeply entwined that their habits, opinions, and routines often seem indistinguishable.

When the mother receives a terminal cancer diagnosis, life continues with remarkable steadiness. They shop for groceries, do laundry, host small gatherings with friends, and savour the quiet rituals of ordinary days. As time folds between memory and the present, the daughter begins imagining the book she might one day write about this fleeting season of their lives.

Rendered in Helle Helle's spare, luminous prose, they is a poignant coming-of-age story and an intimate portrait of a mother and daughter. Rich with the textures of everyday life, it is a moving meditation on class, memory, love, and the preciousness of ordinary moments.

About the Author

Helle Helle is one of Denmark's most celebrated contemporary writers. A graduate of the Danish Academy of Creative Writing, she is the author of numerous novels and short story collections, including This Should Be Written in the Present Tense. Her distinctive minimalist style has earned her many of Denmark's highest literary honours, including the Critics' Prize and the Golden Laurel. Her work has been translated into more than twenty languages. they is translated from the Danish by the award-winning translator Martin Aitken.

Publisher
New Directions

Publication Date
February 10, 2026

Format
Paperback

Pages
128

Subjects
Literary Fiction · Fiction in Translation · Coming of Age · Family · Mother–Daughter Relationships · Danish Literature

ISBN
9780811239127