Jenny Hval

Paradise Rot follows Jo, a Norwegian foreign exchange student in Great Britain, as she finds a place to live and makes friends at her new school. The apartment she ends up living in has very thin walls, and her new roommate quickly becomes very close to her.

It is definitely a book that is not for everyone. Jenny Hval uses the culture shock of being a foreign exchange student and combines it with living in a strange apartment, where senses are heightened and foods rot, to create a feeling of disillusionment. This disillusionment is used to show the disconnect that can come during a queer or sexual awakening. Throughout the novella, she feels more connected with her surroundings and herself, hence the reader becoming more comfortable reading the story. The way description is used throughout curates this feeling perfectly and brings the reader on the same self-discovery journey as Jo.

Because of the seemingly adverse way she uses descriptions, I was able to connect with the story in a way I didn't think I would. I ended up quite enjoying it, and think Hval achieved perfectly what she set out to accomplish.… (mehr)