Day 5

“Why is it so secretive and complicated? Why didn’t he just take it out? My insides are as quiet as a cathedral.” WOW! Please notice how the problem of “disconnection” runs through the novel: Tove wants to connect to the mother, the man, the child—but the only place she truly connects is in her writing.

There are beautiful descriptions of female friendships in this book: the way shared destiny and life circumstances unite women: “Within an hour it’s like we’ve known each other our whole lives.”

Here’s an iconic photo of the young Tove, and how the public saw the young poet from the outside: Beaming with beauty and youth. (Photo credit: Gyldendal Archives)