Norwegian ex-pat Laura Fjelland lives in New York with her two-year-old daughter and decades-old chronic pain. She just wants a seat on the subway.

"Writing with astounding sensitivity and grace of the vulnerability of the body, that abject and essential container within which we live our entire lives, Havelin’s debut is a revelation." —Alexandra Kleeman, author of You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine

“Karen Havelin's debut novel lets pain speak for itself. It's a book that dares you be nosy, to eavesdrop and listen in to a stoic young woman whom no one noticed until she began to disappear, her body disintegrating from the inside out until there's nothing left but searing agony and almost impossibly—a burning triumph.” —Paul Beatty, Winner of the 2016 Man Booker Prize

“A fiercely told and beautifully rendered story of reclamation: of body, of love, of self.” —Hala Alyan, author of Salt Houses

"A superbly written and incredibly graceful novel about the things that really matter: love, mortality, and all the beautiful things that keep us alive.” —Gary Shteyngart, author of Lake Success: A Novel and Super Sad True Love Story

About the Author