The Chime

The novel takes place on a small, green island, where the Li farm turns into the centre of events. An unknown man, Andreas Vest, arrives on the island. No one knows who he is, and the islanders are sceptical towards him.

Then a murder is committed. With this begins a relentless hunt for the unknown man. Everyone has an opinion about ??what has happened – and what should be done about it.

Before The Chime, Tarjei Vesaas was known for writing realistic novels and short stories. But this book heralded a change of style in his authorship, one where he steps over toward allegory, becomes more distinctive and finds his voice within what one might call symbolic modernism. Today, The Chime stands out as one of the truly great Vesaas novels.