Review: "Djevelhogget" by Tuva Tovslid

©️Sylvilel

«Ada has lead around her ankles. That’s how it feels when she drags herself through the days.
Had she only known where she was headed, where she wanted to go.

Then she finds the book about Djevelhogget. A hard trip, both mentally and physically, lies ahead of her.»

A few months back, I recieved a request from author Tuva Tovslid about doing a reader review of her debut novel, "Djevelhogget," which I (the little attention-addict that I am) of course said yes to.

Now.

It needs to be said that I am often and almost always very sceptical about reading Norwegian debuts, for reasons I won't go into right now (we don't have all night.)

But:

The last time I remember falling in love with a book after page two, was at the age of twelve, when I opened "Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone" for the first time. Wich in itself is a kind of magic that is hard to find, in my opinion.

That is what happened with "Djevelhogget."

The main reason for my immediate crush, is how relatable Ada is, feeling caught in a life situation she doesn't know how to deal with. Just about how I experienced most of my teens and early twenties. She just dumped a guy who spent years exploiting her, and is left with a job she doesn't care for, a flat she can barely afford, her own dark self-image, and the ghosts of her preivous mistakes in life.

The weight of all this is threatening to suffocate Ada. All she does is work and sleep, and hide away in her flat. Though when out driving, she discovers a path between the trees, leading to a small lake. Before she knows it, she's stepped out of her clothes, and dived into the freezing water. From that day on, those cold baths are the only thing that gives her some resemble of respite.

One day, this weird guy arrives at her workplace, returning some books. He looks like a middle-aged lumberjack, completely unaccostumed to interacting with other people. One of his books picks Ada's interest, a book about a spectacular mountain pass: Djevelhogget. She brings it home, intrigued, and suddenly finds herself daydreaming about climbing it. Maybe this is the thing that can help her find her true self?

Back at the lake, she encounters the guy from the library again. Tobias. She asks him about the moutain, carefully implying her thoughts on climbing it. Tobias, thinking her completely mental for wanting to take such a dangerous trip all on her own without previous experience, decides to help her plan for the trip, and teach her the necessary skills - if only to prevent her from killing herself.

That is the start of Ada and Tobia's venture towards Djevelhogget.

The story envelopes the mental and physical struggles of a trek through the wilderness, the adventure, and closeness to nature. But it also delves into the issues of abandonment, loneliness, self-respect and self-worth in a very, very relatable manner. Not surprising, as Tovslid has a master in psychology, but even better for the low-key, simplistic application of it, which is the part I really love.

Of course, I'm not entirely un-biased about the nature experience either, having been raised halfway in the wilderness myself. In fact, I'm a constant sucker for it.

A refreshing coming-of-age-story for people in their twenties, and just the thing I needed right now.

I can heartily recommend it <3