My Mother Says

Praise for Stine Pilgaard

“Pilgaard has the formidable ability to give a new twist to language and fixed expressions.” ―Litteratursiden

“Pilgaard has a great sense for the ironic twist hiding in any situation.” ―Dagbladet Information

Praise for My Mother Says

“My Mother Says (published in Denmark in 2012) is the first novel by award-winning Danish writer Stine Pilgaard. Quirky and charming…A memorable work.” ―The Gay & Lesbian Review

"In Stine Pilgaard’s novel My Mother Says, an eccentric woman who faces roadblocks in her academic career and relationships uses humor to sidestep her pain. Experimental and whimsical, My Mother Says is a quirky gem of a novel that delivers a deadpan narration of everyday woes." ―Foreword Reviews

“Reeling from a breakup, a young Danish woman recovers her sense of self through conversations with parents, friends, and strangers. A sweet and quirky debut about heartbreak, memory, and the endless potential of language.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“With undying optimism and a sting of melancholy, Stine Pilgaard portrays the frailty of conversation in this hilarious queer break-up story. Nobody writes dialogue like Pilgaard. Her musicality gets you first, then you stay for the warmth and the acceptance of loneliness as a condition of life. Few books make me laugh out loud as much as this one. This wise writer is one of Denmark’s most beloved authors.” ―Olga Ravn, author of The Employees

“Stine Pilgaard’s debut whirls with elegance and energy.” ―Politiken

“A novel about getting over a broken heart without drowning in self-pity, but also a novel about language and communication, dialogue versus monologue, and community versus loneliness.” ―Stavanger Aftenblad

“A pearl of linguistic abundance. ... Stine Pilgaard’s debut novel is an original, humorous, and slightly absurd universe of misunderstandings. The narrator’s affection for the characters turns the humor into loving comedy.” ―Litteratursiden

“An incredibly promising and slyly hilarious debut novel. ... Pilgaard writes bravely, without hesitation, and with a sarcasm and subtle humor that shines through the book’s many conversations, and invites the reader into an affectionate and joyful relationship with the characters.” ―Fyens Stifstidende

“Stine Pilgaard has written this winter’s must-read. ... It’s an impressive debut, I’m going to read it again right away.” ―Weekendavisen

“With its references to the psalms of the baroque, My Mother Says is both highly literary and deeply communicative. This is a novel that reaches out to its reader, and it does so by being uncommonly entertaining.” ―Information

“Stine Pilgaard is a debut author you should get to know. My Mother Says is breezy and full of humor. I caught myself laughing out loud several times, even though the novel is about the pain of a broken heart.” ―Femina

“An exuberant debut novel.” ―Extra Bladet

Praise for The Land of Short Sentences

“Stine Pilgaard’s novel is a charming chamber work, focusing on a handful of characters in a relatively isolated location, from the perspective of a protagonist struggling to find her own place in society. Her advice columns make for a fascinating contrast with the stories of her life, and a few unlikely narrative payoffs make these seemingly distanced aspects more connected than you’d expect.” ―Words Without Borders

“Small communities love their inside jokes, which become all the more (and paradoxically) hilarious if an outsider takes them seriously. Pilgaard’s smart, layered parody will make you laugh without knowing exactly why, and then will keep you laughing at your self-consciousness.” ―VERONICA RAIMO, author of The Girl at the Door

“A charming and funny novel. … The buzz of people coming and going through the pages, and the warmth and wit of the narrator’s voice, make it a pleasure to be in her company.” ―The Guardian

“A different and refreshing novel. It’s wise, funny and sad by turns and has a powerful sense of place.” ―Daily Mail

“A gentle observational comedy. … Pilgaard draws out a great deal of warmth and humour from the narrator’s attempts to connect with the locals.” ―The Herald

“Hunter Simpson’s translation is playful, funny, and colorful without being showy, rendering the world of a Folk High School in West Jutland with warmth and precision and the voice of the novel’s witty fish-out-of-water narrator with panache.” ―Jury, Leif and Inger Sjöberg Prize for Translation, 2021

“A joyful reflection on living and dealing with anxiety.” ―The Herald

“More than the story itself, I enjoyed reading about the daily life of a different culture. Hunter Simpson, the translator, did a fantastic job at getting the spirit and atmosphere across—no easy task.” ―Man of la Book

“A master of irony lays down her weapons. A deliciously crumbly novel oozing with awkward love.” ―Weekendavisen

“A sheer delight: Stine Pilgaard has penned a perfect comedy about normalcy.” ―Dagbladet Information

“The Land of Short Sentences comfortably won the Golden Laurels award, receiving over half the votes of Denmark’s bookstores. … The book of the year. An absolutely fabulous novel about adjusting to midlife in the back of beyond.” ―Jyllands-Posten

“Stine Pilgaard has a pronounced talent for parody. She can write in such a way as to make you laugh out loud, bringing our embarrassments out into the open, capturing the absurdities of everyday life. Her dialogues are natural and precise, her language clear and succinct, and her references plain and recognizable. But beneath the lightness of her prose hides something beyond comedy and rhetoric.” ―Berlingske

“Another Pilgaard pearl. Too funny for words and at the same time so keenly intelligent in its depictions. You love her characters to bits and understand their faltering steps on the road to community so well. A book you’ll cherish reading—again and again and ...” ―SØNDAG

“Stine Pilgaard’s crisp prose and supreme timing can be spotted fifty books away. It’s an exquisite pearl of a book, wonderfully funny, playful, and subtle in its crafting. But don’t be mistaken: beneath the humor there’s a worldly-wise voice with a finely honed ability to put into words all that’s profound and beautiful and good about life. This is one of the best works of Danish literature I’ve read in ages.” ―Litteratursiden

“The Land of Short Sentences is a tragicomic genre hybrid including advice columns, højskole songs, and a thoroughly maladapted, infinitely charming narrator. The book’s disasters are small, and it is a situational comedy that gives us a break from world events. But it is not cozily escapist or trivial; it is a consolation, a reminder of something common, comical, and troublesome that persists while dramatic global events take place: the fact that people need people, no matter how awkward it can be. Dear Stine Pilgaard. I would like to say congratulations on the award, but also: thank you for the book. Because it made it a little easier to live, without lying about it being easy. Because it lingered with irresistible joy on all the little inconveniences that make up the social landscape. Because it made it much easier to be a weirdo who ventures across the boundaries of others with the best of intentions.” ―LINEA MAJA ERNST, Weekendavisen

“Pilgaard has written an entertaining parody of the rural idyll. With dry Danish humor she describes the difficult integration of a woman in West Jutland. The problems that men and women of all ages spew into the letter section are all too recognizable. Divorces, alcoholism, jealousy and work addiction, everything is discussed.” ―De Volkskrant

“What an absolutely wonderful book.” ―Het Parool

“Pilgaard is one of the most talented writers in Denmark. In the mildly satirical The Land of Short Sentences, she provides both entertainment and depth. The book is a sharp diagnosis of Scandinavian modern-family resentment and of outrageous idealism and social alienation.” ―De Morgen