RELEASE RESTRAIN
SLIPP HOLD
«You’re such a wimp», he whispers and squeezes my hand.
I shake my head quietly – it’s not true. There are plenty of things I would have tried that he would never dream of doing.
about the book
Mari and Torger have been together for a long time. She still doesn’t quite feel like she knows him. He’s a bit too concerned with knowing everything about her. How can Mari regain the person she used to be? How far is she willing to go to break boundaries? And is it possible to surrender to something without giving yourself up completely?
PRIZES AND NOMINATIONS
Won Riksmålsprisen 2015
Excerpt from the jury’s statement:
«The topic of the book is highly unusual and puts the reader’s tolerance and sensibilities to the test. Sævareid’s portrait of a young girl is truly riveting – not to mention her exploration of pain, ambivalence and disquiet. The prose is elegant and expressive, free from clichés. A remarkable YA book.»
Shortlisted for the Brage Prize 2015
«Sævareid’s novel is as adventurous and fearless as it’s heroine. We are beginning to see the outlines of a unique body of work.»
REVIEWS
«Release Restrain is above all a story about safety and surrender. It is a beautiful and heartwarming book about surrendering to one’s own body, to other people, and to pain and love.»
★★★★★
Torborg Igland, Fædrelandsvennen
«An exquisite YA novel.»
«Nuanced and believable about a controversial community.»
★★★★★
Maja Troberg Djuve, Dagbladet
«Within the framework of a seemingly straightforward story about a love triangle, Sævareid provides a nuanced portrait of the individualism of our time – where the boundaries between empowerment/disempowerment and control/freedom are blurred.»
«Release Restrain is one of the best novels I read last year, and decidedly the best YA novel. With her tough and undogmatic literary confrontations between the body and the self, pain and pleasure, Sævareid went further than most in exploring what it means to have a body among other bodies.
[…]
The scene where Mari and Torger are trying to act out their sexual fantasies together is one of the saddest and most observant things I have ever read. Sævareid is intensely present even when the characters are neither present for each other or for themselves. She registers and distills every detail, and the result is a painful mirror for the reader….»
Marius Emanuelsen Bokvennen Litterær Avis
«An original, exciting and extremely well-written novel with a topic that a lot of people may not know much about. [...] Heidi Sævareid has created yet another total success.»
Geir Vestad, Hamar Arbeiderblad
MEDIA FEATURES
«– When I’m in the role of a writer, I’ve found that I’m willing to push myself further than I would have done in my private life, Sævareid explains.»
«It wasn’t in the cards that Heidi Sævareid would devote herself to such an odd topic as ‘body suspension’. In fact, she was terrified of needles and would spend days dreading a blood test at the doctors office. But after seeing a music video where the Icelandic artist Björk is wearing a dress that is stitched to her skin, she became fascinated with piercings. . And when she came across an article about body suspension, she decided to write about it.»
«– It’s a real challenge to find the right words to describe what’s happening when the body is being put through something unusual. I’m interested in the link between the language and the body, and how the language is being affected by bodily experiences, says Sævareid.»
Feature story, Fædrelandsvennen
«I tried out body suspension as a part of the research for my latest novel, Release Restrain. However, when I did it for the first time, it was so rewarding that I just kept doing it. It gives me a sense of peace and focus, and it hurts less than you would think, says novelist Heidi Sævareid.»
«– Body suspension is a path to liberation. For me and many others, and for my main character, says Heidi Sævareid to Dagsavisen.»
«- I’ve always been very hungry and curious as a person, but at the same time quite scared of the unknown. However, when one is scared of the unknown, one is very often drawn to it.»
Feature story, Klassekampen
«EXTREME BOOK LAUNCH: Heidi Sævareid taught herself to appreciate pain.»
WHAT THE BOOK BLOGGERS ARE SAYING
«So far the best Norwegian book I have read in 2015.»
Silje Solsvik, Så rart – en bokblogg
«Impressingly, Sævareid never chooses the obvious way, and there are no “easy moves”. An unusually good book.»
Mari Høe, Flukten fra virkeligheten
«I really like the way the dialogue is written. It is so effortless, and it feels as if I’m getting to know someone in real life.»
«Sævareid writes with a remarkable tenderness and an eye for details. There is a lot going on between the lines. Release Restrain is beautiful and intense, and I couldn’t put the book down.»
Julie Didriksen, Julies Bokbabbel
«There is nothing shocking about the suspension thing – it is just a backdrop for Mari’s attempts to break free from a life that is not her own, to get closer to the person she wants to be, and to sharing that person with others. I related to Mari, and I recognised others in Mari and Torger’s relationship. Really well portrayed!»
«The suspension community is portrayed in a convincing way. This book has expanded my horizon, and I reccommend it heartily. It is my favourite Brage nominee.»