Novelist Finds Inspiration in Norwegian Op Shops for New Book

Novelist Favel Parrett discovered the inspiration for her latest book during a writer's residency in Trondheim, a town in central Norway. While she initially planned to write short stories, her studio inside a former school building convinced her to write a novel instead. Op shops, junk shops, and folk museums in the area provided old photographs, postcards, books, and toys that gave her deep insights into her characters. She found mounted professional photographs dating back to the 1930s and a 1939 Norwegian school reading book, which made her feel her fictional characters were real. ## Plot and Themes The resulting novel is titled One for Sorrow. It tells the story of Einar Halvorsen, a boy from a poor family who learns to love reading thanks to a teacher named Johan who nurtures his curiosity. The book explores themes of love, grief, knowledge, resistance, family, belonging, class, and social convention. The story is partially set during the Nazi invasion of Norway, though Parrett views it primarily as a study of a working-class suburb and a child's life rather than a war story. The plot also features an affair between Einar's mother and the teacher, highlighting the mother's unhappiness, grief, and lack of control over her life. ## Research and Writing Trondheim was a major industrial area and one of Norway's poorest regions in the early 20th century. Many working-class families lived in one-room apartments, and children often ate porridge for meals. Students whose parents worked at a chocolate factory frequently ate bread spread with chocolate instead of butter, leading to dental issues and eventually free annual dental visits. Parrett spent two years gathering material before piecing the scenes together out of chronological order. At roughly 43,000 words, the book crosses the threshold of a traditional novella. ## Context Writers frequently use artist residencies to immerse themselves in new cultures and historical settings that shape their creative work. Historical research into everyday living conditions, local archives, and thrift store artifacts helps authors build authentic details for historical fiction. Novels set during wartime often focus on ordinary domestic life to highlight how global conflicts directly impact private citizens.