Literary Salon: Houses with Children

The novel "Houses with Children" follows 37-year-old Irene, who desperately wants a child. Her husband Thomas is a priest, and the couple has spent years trying to conceive - now fertility treatment is the next step. Then a family moves in next door: two parents and two children who appear happy on the surface. Irene begins to sense that the facade hides something else.

The situation escalates when Thomas withdraws from treatment and appears to have grown too close to the neighbour's wife. The narrative keeps the reader in constant doubt about what is real and what is imagination. Politiken described the book as "a juicy domestic noir tale" with "fine psychological insight" and suspense that grips until the final page.

Lise Villadsen (b. 1985) holds a degree in Danish and philosophy and is known for her young-adult novels "Byttedyr" and "De sorte hullers klub". "Houses with Children" is her debut as an adult fiction author, and at this salon she discusses the process behind the book.

Programme
13:30-14:00: Coffee and cake, while librarian Ann Luther Torp recommends psychological thrillers inspired by "Houses with Children".
14:00-15:00: Lise Villadsen on working with the novel.

The event takes place in the Hall at Roskilde Library.