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.