My Brother

With mesmeric drawings, My Brother tells of the warmth that flows between grief-stricken father and daughter, as well as the deep ties of family – strong enough to plunge the depths of the sea and back


A sensitive portrayal of loss, My Brother is the story of a child whose brother emerges from the depths of the fjord on the end of her father’s fishing line. Though grieving in different ways, the child and her father find comfort in remembering their brother and son together. Øyvind Torseter’s wobbly line drawings and dark cross-hatched blotches sprawl across pages bathed in warm reds and oranges, melancholy blues, and hopeful greens. Accompanied by Torseter’s captivating images, Laura Djupvik’s poetic lines provide an opening for children and adults to talk about grief and the power of memory."A haunting English-language debut . . . Capturing the sense of closure and peace the brother’s visit gives the grieving family, this lingering work envisions a tender, deliberate farewell." — Publishers Weekly

"In this macabre yet incredibly touching story, a father and daughter take healing steps in their grief for her older brother. While out on a fishing trip–a favorite activity–they reel him in and spend the next day with him before letting him go again. They find comfort in knowing that he still exists. This could be comforting for adults as well as children–I even wonder about shelving it in our adult grief section." — Mary Wahlmeier Bracciano, Raven Book Store in Lawrence, KS

"I can attest that there are far too few good books about grief for children, and this one is a wonderful addition to that genre." —Lyn Lauffer, former librarian at Sheldon Elementary School, Sheldon, VermontLaura Djupvik is the Norwegian author of novels, stories and children’s books. In 2008, she won the Guro Sandsdalens literature prize for her first children’s book, A Hundred Oranges and a Violin.

Martin Aitken is a translator from Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish. He has translated works by Karl Øve Knausgaard, Peter Høeg, Ida Jessen, Olga Ravn, and others. He was awarded the PEN Translation Prize for his translation of Love by Hanne Ørstavik in 2019 and in 2021, his translation of Olga Ravn’s novel The Employees was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize.

Øyvind Torseter is an award-winning Norwegian artist, illustrator, and children’s book author. In addition to writing and illustrating 11 of his own children’s books, Øyvind has collaborated with other writers on more than 40 additional titles. His books have received numerous prizes including the Bologna Ragazzi Award and the Norwegian Book Art Prize. In 2014, he was a finalist for the Hans Christian Andersen Awards. He has exhibited his artwork in Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, and Switzerland.

ARTIST WEBSITE: https://www.oyvindtorseter.com/