The Sixteen Trees of the Somme

The Times bestseller by the author of NORWEGIAN WOOD, a family story of epic scale.

"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.

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

“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”

An intricate story about war, family, secrets and, yes, wood ... An engaging, satisfying read. - The Times

The Sixteen Trees of the Somme is so cleverly plotted, and it builds up such effortless dramatic momentum as it zeroes in on its conclusion - Scotsman

Mytting follows up Norwegian Wood with a mystery that fits together like a piece of fine marquetry - Observer

- Bookanista

What a remarkable book. I adored it . . . It's one of those books I've rushed home to get back to and read late into the night. I felt embedded in Edvard's world and those of his parents and grandparents. I have an urge to visit Norway and go back to the Shetlands just to honour this book. - Jaffe and Neale Booksellers

The tug of this book on the heart and mind is irresistible . . . And you will, I think, struggle to find a modern novel in which the emotional, imaginative lure of trees and wood is as powerful. - Catholic Herald Books of the Year.

A tragic and astonishing narrative about the love of wood, about family secrets, and finding your own self. About grief, loss and love . . . If Norwegian Wood had not made Lars Mytting a celebrity, this novel will. - Dagbladet

Probably this year's most riveting novel, a widescreen narrative that must be considered his definitive breakthrough as a writer . . . This book is so blessedly well written that even the most elaborate twists become logical and acceptable milestones in an intricate story. - Aftenposten

Lars Mytting, a novelist and journalist, was born in Favang, Norway, in 1968. His novel The Sixteen Trees of the Somme) was awarded the Norwegian National Booksellers' Award and has been bought for film. Norwegian Wood has become an international bestseller, and was the Bookseller Industry Awards Non-Fiction Book of the Year 2016. His novel The Bell in the Lake was a number one bestseller in Norway and nominated for the Norwegian National Bookseller's Award 2018.

The Times bestseller b y the author of NORWEGIAN WOOD, a family story of epic scale. "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" S cotsman 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. 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

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