The Trough of the Wave

Olav Duun's The People of Juvik opens a powerful family saga set in rural northern Norway, where the fate of a peasant freeholding clan is bound to the land, to pride, and to the harsh pressures of history. In a world shaped by labor, superstition, and fierce independence, the Juvikings rise from stubborn beginnings to legendary stature, their lives marked by endurance, violence, ambition, and a near-mythic attachment to place. The story begins with Per, the first known Juviking, who refuses to be cowed by his landlord and carves out Juvik through sheer will and hard work. His descendants inherit his strength and defiance: Per Anders, practical and unflinching, builds the farm into prosperity, outwits superstition, and imposes order on a household full of hidden tensions. Around him, the family's reputation grows through tales of extraordinary strength, wealth, and honor, but also through rivalry, secrecy, and the uneasy pull of folk belief. As sons Jens and Per struggle over inheritance, marriage, and authority, the novel deepens into a drama of raw masculine pride, family conflict, and the dark, compelling force of a changing world. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.