by Alex Dahl
He’s sitting on Leah’s sofa, looking out into the living room at her possessions, wishing for her presence. He wants to stay here and to make a life with her. He can do better, be a better man for Leah, he knows he’s capable of it. He tries to call her yet again, but like every other time he’s tried, it goes straight to voicemail. He goes into the bathroom and splashes cold water on his face. He looks at himself in the mirror and wishes it was Leah’s warm, hazel eyes that were looking back at him. He opens the bathroom cabinet and rummages around for a painkiller; a vicious headache sits at the base of his skull, like a claw. He finally finds some in an old washbag at the back of the cupboard and in addition to the paracetamol, there’s an elongated white object at the bottom. A pregnancy test. Anton’s heart leaps in his chest and he holds it up to the light; it reveals two clear, strong lines.
It’s his natural instinct to smash something, to wield destruction on physical objects in response to his feelings; whatever they are, he can’t tell. A baby. Leah is carrying his baby. Anton bursts from the bathroom into the apartment’s corridor. It feels as though his mind is on fire. He stands there for a long while as if paralyzed. Then he tears some clothes from his single shelf in Leah’s closet and puts them on quickly. He glances around the apartment one last time, shellshocked, before grabbing his car key and rushing through the door.
Five months later
Dagsposten, article by Selma Eriksen.
There was a record turnout for the Supernova vernissage at Villa Vinternatt last night. Tragic novelist, Leah Iverson’s unfinished work was displayed alongside paintings and illustrations by Elisabeth Eliassen, a previous resident of Villa Vinternatt. The event was the latest development in the Iverson Eliassen case, which has received worldwide attention since last November. The artist and the novelist were murdered a couple of months apart in a case that has shocked the nation and indeed, the world. The onetime strongest contender for the Conservative Party’s highest appointment, Eirik Moss, and his wife, Dr Kristina Moss, once a highly respected Doctor of Psychology, were convicted of the crimes. The couple have been dubbed the ‘sociopathic socialites’ and both husband and wife are facing imminent trial for the first-degree murders of Iverson and Eliassen.
But last night wasn’t about Mr and Dr Moss; last night was very much a celebration of the remarkable achievements of their victims. Supernova is, ‘an evocative and visceral account of the descent into madness’, according to Aftenposten. Publisher’s Weekly calls it, ‘a multi-layered psychological study, chilling to the bone’. ‘Terrifying and well-crafted,’ says Stockholmsposten. ‘The work of a writer in her most brutal and uncompromising prime’ – Deutsche Zeitung.
Ms Eliassen was met with similar praise for her haunting depictions of trauma and its effects on the human psyche. It is safe to say that this undefined work, though most likely not intended for publication, written in the style of autofiction, like Iverson’s previous Nobody (2018), is already causing major waves both internationally and in Norway, no doubt exacerbated by the extraordinary circumstances of its author’s and illustrator’s shocking killings, which have shaken the very foundations of Norwegian high society. Dagsposten will be running an in-depth headline review of Supernova for Saturday’s special literary supplement magazine.
Acknowledgements
Cabin Fever was written during the pandemic and provided a refuge from everything going on in the world; a therapeutic pursuit about friendship, betrayal, and therapy itself. I already miss its universe and the escape it provided. This novel would not, could not, exist without the work, support and guidance of so many wonderful people.
A very big thank you is due to my agent, Laura Longrigg – I enjoy working with you so much and am so grateful for your sound advice and support over the years. Thank you also to the whole team at MBA Literary Agents, and especially to Tim Webb and Andrea Michell. Louisa Pritchard, I know how enthusiastically you champion my work in the foreign territories and appreciate it so much.
To my editors at Head of Zeus – Madeleine O’Shea and Laura Palmer – your insights and expert knowledge on all things books have hugely benefitted Cabin Fever. I love our often insane and creepy chats about plots and timelines and baddies and odd Norwegian customs. Thank you both for being a true joy to work with. Thank you also to the whole team at Head of Zeus, working with you is always a pleasure. A big thank you is also due to Louis Greenberg, for your pitch-perfect insights into Cabin Fever. Also, you managed to make me laugh out loud repeatedly during the rather stressful final stages of edits – so thank you.
I’d like to thank my writing group – I just can’t wait for our next retreat together. Thank you to Tricia Wastvedt; as always you are such a gift in my life, both personal and professional. A very big thank you is due to Kristina Takashina, for longevity, loyalty, love and laughter. You helped me so much in creating Dr. Kristina Moss in this book. Martin Philips also helped me so much in understanding the therapeutic process and the psychotherapist’s role, thank you so much. Rhonda Guttulsrod – I don’t know how I got so lucky! You (and your family) are truly family to me (and my family), and I am so very grateful for you. Thank you, a million times over, for everything.
Thank you to Trine Bretteville, who kindly lent her name to one of the tragic protagonists in this novel. I absolutely adore you – thank you for all the years and maybe especially this past year. Our 8 A.M phone calls never fail to make me laugh and I can’t wait for our next Paris adventure. Thank you to Elisabeth Hersoug, who lent her name to another tragic protagonist in this book; I appreciate our friendship so much. A special thank you to Olivia Foster who contributed to the preservation of (some kind of) sanity with our fantastic coronawinus sessions over the past year and whose presence in my life is much appreciated. Thank you also to my lovely ladies in Wimbledon – I can’t wait to paint the town red and the air Chanel with you guys soon. Thank you to Fevziye Kaya Sørebø, for all the good times, I so wish there would be more.
To all my other friends – I am very fortunate to be surrounded by such awesome people, so thank you.
To Lisa L – thank you for holding the mirror with the steadiest of hands. I promise I’m not as creepy as the events in this book!
As with every novel, the music is hugely important to me in the writing process. For Cabin Fever, I was in excellent company with Lana del Rey, Birdy, Eminem and Ane Brun, so thank you for the music.
A final, and very big thank you to my family, for putting up with me and allowing me this life as a writer. Thank you to my mother, Marianne, for always instilling in me that this would be possible. Thank you to my grandmother, Karianne – I know how much you would have loved to hold my books in your hands. Thank you to Chris and Judy. Thank you to Oscar, Anastasia and Louison for choosing me as your Maman. Thank you to Laura, for believing, for always fighting my corner, and for everything you are to me.
About the Author
ALEX DAHL is a half-American, half-Norwegian author. Born in Oslo, she studied Russian and German linguistics with international studies, then went on to complete an MA in creative writing at Bath Spa University and an MSc in business management at Bath University. A committed Francophile, Alex loves to travel, and has so far lived in Moscow, Paris, Stuttgart, Sandefjord, Switzerland, Bath and London. She is the author of three other thrillers: Playdate, The Heart Keeper, and The Boy at the Door, which was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger.
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