Katrin ottarsdóttir

Summer doesn’t Last All Year Anymore

Genre: Novel
Publisher: Asfalt
Year: 2023
Pages: 304
ISBN: 978-87-93521-40-7
English sample translation available

A compelling coming-of-age novel about secrecy, shame, and a young woman's struggle for control over her own future.

Set in Tórshavn in the 1970s, the novel follows a sixteen-year-old girl growing up in a dysfunctional home ruled by a domineering and unpredictable mother. Carrying a secret that must remain hidden at all costs, she navigates adolescence in a close-knit society where appearances matter more than truth.

As her secret becomes increasingly impossible to conceal, she is forced to confront difficult choices about her future, her family, and herself. Told with sensitivity and insight, Summer Doesn't Last All Year Anymore explores themes of shame, motherhood, abortion, and the silences that shape generations.

An independent sequel to Ottarsdóttir's acclaimed debut novel The Girl in the World (2020), this is a powerful portrait of a young woman coming of age in a society where everyone is watching.

Katrin Ottarsdóttir (b. 1957) is a film director, screenwriter, poet, and novelist. Her debut poetry collection, Are There Copper Pipes in Heaven (2012), received the Faroese M. A. Jacobsen Award in 2013. She has published three poetry collections, three short story collections, and two novels. Her books have been published in Denmark, Iceland, and the United States.

Awards and nominations: Faroese National Literature Prize (M.A. Jacobsen) 2023

Rights holder: Katrin Ottarsdóttir

Rights sold: Denmark