Per Petterson and Laurie Hertzel discuss Petterson’s new novel "I Refuse"

“Readers will find that they’re in the hands of a master whose quiet, unforgettable voice leaves you yearning to hear more.”--The Boston Globe

Laurie Hertzel, books editor of the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the author of the memoir News to Me, will discuss I Refuse and Per Petterson’s other books with him. Per Petterson is the author of five previous novels, which have established him as one of Norway's best fiction writers. Petterson worked as a manual laborer, spent twelve years as a bookseller, and was a translator and literary critic before becoming a full-time writer. His novel Out Stealing Horses won the 2007 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and was named one of the best books of 2007 by the New York Times Book Review and Time.

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Per Petterson’s hotly anticipated new novel, I Refuse, is the work of an internationally acclaimed novelist at the height of his powers. In Norway the book has been a huge best seller, and rights have already been sold to sixteen countries.

In his signature spare style, I Refuse weaves a tale of two men whose accidental meeting one morning recalls their boyhood thirty-five years ago. Back then, Tommy was separated from his sisters after he stood up to their abusive father. Jim was by Tommy’s side through it all. But one winter night, a chance event on a frozen lake forever changes the balance of their friendship. Now, Jim fishes alone on a bridge as Tommy drives by in a new Mercedes, and it’s clear their fortunes have reversed. Over the course of the day, the lives of each man will be irrevocably altered. I Refuse is a powerful, unforgettable novel, and its publication is an event to be celebrated.