The Last Waltz

Pedro Carmona-Alvarez

Original title: Den siste valsen
Publisher: Kolon, 2026
Genre: Novel
Pages: 990 pages

The Last Waltz is an ambitious and expansive novel that weaves together multiple lives across continents and historical turning points. The story follows Marita, a wildlife documentary cinematographer in Los Angeles in the aftermath of the Rodney King case; Andreas, a gifted archaeology student drawn into the illicit antiquities trade in Iraq at the behest of Norwegian billionaire Nicholai Becker; and Johannes, who abandons his dream of becoming an actor in favor of a legal career specializing in art sales. The narrative unfolds across an international landscape, moving from Bergen to Los Angeles, Baghdad, Mosul, Madrid, Istanbul, and Geneva.

The novel explores themes of identity, memory, and belonging, while also examining power, wealth, and the fragility of cultural heritage. The Last Waltz is a novel about friendship, love, and jealousy, about leaving youth behind, about travel and family, and about who we are and who we once were.

The Last Waltz is a standalone sequel to The Weather Changed, Summer Came and So On (2012) and Bergen Youth Theatre (2016).

The first colossal highlight of this fall. Pedro Carmona-Alvarez sets the bar for the fall publishing season with a novel of nearly a thousand unforgettable pages. […] The writing is an absolute delight. Carmona-Alvarez conjures up sparkling scenes, charged moments, intimacy and distance. […] I was challenged, exhilarated, knocked sideways, and never bored for a moment. If anything, I read too quickly, lingering only briefly over all the beauty and horror along the way, because the book has both drive and momentum – a genuinely literary thriller.

Bergens Tidende, 6/6 stars

Pedro Carmona-Alvarez

Pedro Carmona-Alvarez was born in La Serena, Chile, in 1972. At the age of ten, he and his family fled to Argentina, and the family later moved to Norway. He made his debut with a collection of poetry in 1997, and has since published several award-winning books. The Weather Changed, Summer Came and So On was longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award in 2017, and his last novel, Chiquitita, has been nominated for multiple awards and sold to 7 markets. His newest book, The Last Waltz, came out in 2026.