Long Live The Post Horn!

Vigdis Hjorth

"Making peace with yourself, was this what I was struggling with, was this what I missed? Accepting myself as I once was, with my childhood, my story, my mother, my work experience, my shortcomings, my weariness — making peace with all of it, entirely”

Despite having a seemingly perfect life, our protagonist Ellinor grapples with an unexplained sense of dissatisfaction and meaninglessness. She has no apparent reason to feel this way, yet she does. Ellinor co-owns a PR firm with two friends but has recently found herself disinterested also in her work. Then one day, she takes on a campaign for the Postal Workers’ Union, opposing the EU-imposed postal reform. That’s when everything starts to change. While executing the campaign using their usual strategies, Ellinor and her colleague begin to uncover how little they truly understand about people's authentic stories. As she listens to real accounts from real people, Ellinor discovers the power of truth and storytelling. Through this process of paying close attention to others, she begins to draw closer to her own truth.
For me, this book by Vigdis Hjorth was also an introduction to Søren Kierkegaard’s philosophy. At its core, the novel feels like a reminder to embrace the life you’ve been given and recognize that simply being yourself—no matter how ordinary life might seem—is the real adventure. Hjorth has mentioned in interviews how deeply Kierkegaard and existential questions influence her work, and this novel beautifully reflects that philosophy. This novel carries a more hopeful and optimistic tone than some of Hjorth’s other works, and her clear, flowing writing style makes it an absolute pleasure to read. I recommend this novel to anyone who, like Ellinor, sometimes feels a little lost in life.