The Edge of Darkness

‘A Novel of Occupied Norway’ on the now familiar pattern of a subject nation under Nazi rule struggling to be free. It is written with directness and simplicity; presents the Germans as human beings and the Norwegians as not all heroic; and, by making the town of Trollness and not any individual character the hero, attains epic quality despite its brevity. If any group stands out more than another it is the family of Dr. Martin Stensgard, which represents all the major attitudes of the villagers. The doctor himself is a brave man and patriot, who has lost the love of his family. His wife is indifferent to tyranny, his son is a little Quisling, his daughter falls in love with a German soldier. But characters and incidents are all subdued to the main stream of a story of indomitable courage and resourcefulness which in spite of its sadness is powerfully exciting and, notwithstanding the failure of the revolt, very heartening. R.M.G.