Helle Helle’s "they" launches in English today!

Happy UK publication day to Helle Helle ’s they – out in English in Martin Aitken’s translation and published by Akoya Publishing.

The first reviews are in, and all are in agreement: this is one book you won’t want to miss:

“They is a challenging but rewarding read – a page-staller, if you like. It shows us something, too, about what fiction really is. Strip away the false or melodramatic conventions, and you remember that novels simply require us to take an interest in a life other than our own. And, given that the pace and pressure of the 21st century discourages us from noticing ourselves, let alone those around us, that requirement is a wonderful act of discipline. Slow your heart, slow your attention span – you’ll be mesmerised.” – Luke Kennard, The Telegraph ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Originally published in 2018 and translated now by Martin Aitken, they by Helle Helle is the first of a trilogy slated for publication in English in 2026 and 2027. Helle is one of Denmark’s most accomplished modern novelists, but is yet to enjoy the same cult status in the anglophone world. The publication of this trilogy is sure to change that.” – Joshua Klarica, Literary Review

“A small-scale, acute portrait of a mother-daughter relationship in a time of crisis is a marvel. […] There is no sentimentality in this beautiful novel, but adjustment, compassion and wonder: ‘some leaves descend one at a time, the name of the road is something containing blue’.” – Catherine Taylor, The Irish Times

Congratulations, Helle and Akoya!