It's Fine By Me

Thirteen-year-old Auden Sletten moves to a new neighborhood in Oslo with his mother and younger brother in the 1970s. On his first day of school, he refuses to remove his sunglasses in class, establishing himself as an outsider from the start. The narrative follows Auden through his teenage years as he forms a friendship with Arvid Jansen, works at a newspaper printing press, and navigates complex relationships with his family. His father's occasional violent returns home cast a shadow over the family, while Auden seeks refuge in books and his own private thoughts. Through spare prose and precise details, Petterson captures the realities of working-class life in 1970s Norway. The story moves between Auden's present experiences and memories of his childhood, creating a portrait of adolescence and family dynamics. The novel examines how young people construct their identities in response to trauma and social pressures. Questions of masculinity, violence, and the possibility of breaking destructive family patterns run throughout the work.

Readers describe this as a quiet, introspective character study that requires patience. The sparse, blunt writing style and focus on mundane details resonates with fans of minimalist fiction. Likes: - Raw, authentic portrayal of working-class Norwegian life - Effective use of flashbacks to reveal character history - Strong sense of time and place in 1970s Oslo - Realistic depiction of teenage friendship dynamics Dislikes: - Very slow pacing with limited plot movement - Abrupt ending leaves questions unanswered - Translation feels flat to some English readers - Characters can seem emotionally distant Ratings: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (2,800+ ratings) Amazon: 3.9/5 (80+ reviews) LibraryThing: 3.8/5 (300+ ratings) "Like watching paint dry but somehow still engaging," notes one Goodreads reviewer. Multiple readers compare the stark style to Hemingway. Several mention needing to read certain passages multiple times to grasp their significance.

Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson A teenage boy in rural Norway confronts family secrets and mortality through memories of a pivotal summer that shaped his relationship with his father.

This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff A memoir chronicles a young man's navigation through poverty, domestic violence, and self-discovery in 1950s America.

The Death of Murat Idrissi by Tommy Wieringa Two immigrant teenagers face the consequences of their choices during a journey from Morocco to Europe that intersects with life, death, and human connection.

The Wanderers by Tim Pears A working-class boy in pre-WWI England leaves home to work with horses while discovering truths about class divisions and his place in the world.

The North Water by Ian McGuire A teenage whaling ship crew member confronts violence and survival in the Arctic while grappling with questions of morality and human nature.

🔹 Per Petterson wrote "It's Fine By Me" in 1992, but the English translation wasn't published until 2011, after the massive success of his novel "Out Stealing Horses" 🔹 The author drew from his own working-class upbringing in Oslo's suburbs to create the authentic voice of protagonist Audun Sletten 🔹 Petterson lost several family members, including his parents, in the 1990 Scandinavian Star ferry disaster, and themes of loss and family tragedy echo throughout his works 🔹 The book's original Norwegian title is "Det er greit for meg," and it was Petterson's second published novel 🔹 The narrative style shifts between the protagonist at age 13 and age 18, using a technique of parallel storytelling that became one of Petterson's signature writing methods