The Sixteen Trees of the Somme

A family story of epic scale, b****y the author of NORWEGIAN WOOD and THE BELL IN THE LAKE.

“An intricate story about war, family, secrets and,yes, wood … An engaging, satisfying read” The Times

“So cleverly plotted, and it builds up such effortless dramatic momentum as it zeroes in on its conclusion” *Scotsman***

Edvard grows up on a remote mountain farmstead in Norway with his taciturn grandfather, Sverre. The death of his parents, when he was three years old, has always been shrouded in mystery – he has never been told how or where it took place and has only a distant memory of his mother.

But he knows that the fate of his grandfather’s brother, Einar, is somehow bound up with this mystery. One day a coffin is delivered for his grandfather long before his death – a meticulous, beautiful piece of craftsmanship. Perhaps Einar is not dead after all.

Edvard’s desperate quest to unlock the family’s tragic secrets takes him on a long journey – from Norway to the Shetlands, and to the battlefields of France – to the discovery of a very unusual inheritance. The Sixteen Trees of the Somme is about the love of wood and finding your own self, a beautifully intricate and moving tale that spans an entire century.

A TIMES BESTSELLER

Mytting’s book is as much a romantic historical thriller as it is a book of promise, a page-turner as it is a reflective journey into selfhood, history, life’s meaning and individual moral responsibility – Mika Provata-Carlone, Bookanista

Translated from the Norwegian by Paul Russell Garrett