Trondheim

In a Norwegian hospital, thousands of miles from home, a foreign student lies in a coma from which he may never wake. At his bedside, his mothers vacillate between extremes of hope, fear, and psychic pain, which push their already troubled relationship towards the edge. A profound exploration of a family in crisis, Trondheim portrays the way each woman copes with the looming tragedy and the possibility of healing in the wake of a life-altering emergency.

Read the novel’s opening chapter in Harper’s Magazine.

Editor’s Choice, New York Times Book Review

Kirkus: Most Anticipated Books of 2024

LGBTQ Reads: Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ fiction of 2024

“An X-ray picture of the subcutaneous breaks and sprains in a rocky relationship. When their son collapses, an unhappy couple travels to his bedside, leaving behind none of their exquisitely described marital baggage … Irish writer James’ delicate, incisive novel … captures with forensic accuracy the subtle tensions in the marriage. … [Their son’s] medical situation is acute and dramatic, but the women’s marital troubles, mundane and chronic, are the real subject of this extraordinary and meticulous book.”
— Kirkus (starred review)

“delicately and deeply probes the mothers and their relationship.”
— New York Times Book Review

“a poignant meditation on grief, perseverance, and the complications of love.” 
— Publisher’s Weekly

“A luminous tale of forgiveness, love and hope that views a complicated relationship in the wake of tragedy.” 
— Library Journal

“James’ elegant novel will leave [readers] shattered and uplifted.” 
— Washington Independent Review of Books