ABOUT THE BOOK
At birth the seven children have only
two things in common: They all come into the world in Maternity
Ward B at the National Hospital in Copenhagen, and they are all
given up for adoption. In the following months, the women who run
Kongslund, the famed orphanage, find new families for the children
in different parts of Denmark. They grow up without the slightest
clue about their past.
Many years later an anonymous letter is
sent to a down-and-out journalist at a failing newspaper. The
letter reveals that one of the seven children carries a secret, and
someone has done everything possible to keep that secret
hidden.
When the story is made public, it
brings explosive consequences. Could it be that for the past fifty
years the prestigious orphanage has been covering up the love
affairs of wealthy and famous Danes, hiding scandalous liaisons
that took place at the highest levels of society?
The seven adopted children, now adults,
are swept up in the search to uncover their past. At the same time,
they are desperately trying to figure out which of them is the
seventh child, and what could be the nature of the secret that
person holds.
The Seventh Child is the story of how
this mystery is unraveled - and about the bond between the seven
children, whose lives end up inextricably linked during the decades
when the social welfare system was established in Denmark, from the
1960s until the present.
The Seventh Child received the Debut
Prize 2011 given by the The Danish Bank (Danske Banks
Debutantpris).
THE AUTHOR
Erik Valeur (born 1955) is a Danish
journalist who writes for Berlingske Tidende, Danmarks Radio,
Information, and Tænk. He is also a media commentator for
Politiken and Jyllands-Posten.
He is co-founder of Månedsbladet Press, and the promoter for
Magtens Galleri in Galerie Asbæk. He and his colleagues have
twice received the Cavling Prize. In 1994 he was awarded the
Publicistklubben Prize, and in both 1994 and 1999 he won the Kryger
Prize. He is the author of Stop the Press (1993), The Power Book
(2002), and 60 Rounds Fired (2007).
press
"A novel so good that you'll look
forward to reading it again."
- Weekendavisen
"Erik Valeur's gripping and dramatic
debut novel. . . is phenomenal!"
- Berlingske Tidende
"Seldom have I read a book put together
like such an exquisitely intricate mosaic as this first
novel."
- Nordjyske Stiftstidende
"Entertaining and exciting. It's well
written and linguistically imaginative, with a touch of pastiche
perfectly suited to the Gothic storyline!"
- Information
"Valeur demonstrates great technical
prowess and a sense for suspense as he unfolds his plot."
- Jyllands-Posten
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