Catrin Ormestad

“Catrin Ormestad’s novel When the Wolf Came does not only allow a wolf to swim ashore on Wiggö – the entire contemporary war on culture is unleashed on the island, with Tillman and Magdalena as the leading parties of the conflict. Black and white meet, but they are watercolors, mixed in the ocean’s water, and it is with shades just as grey as the cliffs of the archipelago that Catrin Ormestad paints their lives, with an understanding for both worldviews. […] When the Wolf Came is a novel for this head-fast era of assurance, which encourages listening to one’s fellow humans’ arguments instead of declaring them idiots.”
– Gefle Dagblad (SE)

“Here, a drama unfolds where social control can be fatal, especially for those seeking sustainable change. Catrin Ormestad is a driven writer with a feel for and knowledge about nature and the vulnerable island life.”
– BTJ (SE)

“We get to go on an incredible journey. [Catrin Ormestad] succeeds in writing a book that touches on topical themes such as the climate and biodiversity […] and there are love stories and fragile family ties.”
– Go’kväll (SE)

“Catrin Ormestad writes with nuance about the conflict between city and countryside in the highly topical book When the Wolf Came. […] the novel grows with its characters, they gain life, background and motive to their actions, and the author perfectly illustrates the problems of the outskirts — a little twisted, but still. She also depicts the friendship between Tillman and Ben in a balanced way. Both people and nature are portrayed with empathy and understanding.”
– Upsala Nya Tidning (SE)

“[…] incredibly thrilling and a treat not only for fans of Sweden.”
– Jungle World (DE)

“[…] the story is both psychologically compelling and engagingly written. […] The conclusion is fascinating […].”
– CH Media (DE)

“In this evocative novel, Tel Aviv-based Swedish author Catrin Ormestad explores not only the conflict between conservationists and livestock farmers regarding the return of wolves, but also the tensions between the locals and the city-dweller, who assumes that all islanders are Trump supporters. […] the author portrays these conflicts with great insight […].”
– Weser Kurier (DE)

“[…] Catrin Ormestad is skilled enough to avoid pairing love with pain. The portrayal of love succeeds in part because Ormestad is so familiar with the landscape where the story unfolds. […] One truly believes that these people exist, out where the sea meets land. Ormestad writes about them using a language that feels close to the characters themselves, a language that molds to the rocks and finds meaning in the silence found in nature, or between people who don’t always have the words to articulate their feelings.”
– Gefle Dagblad (SE)

“Reading Daughter of the Sea by Catrin Ormestad is a powerful experience that takes the reader’s breath away, thanks to its extraordinary sense for nature, for animals’ rights, and the care with which the strong yet conflicting feelings that develop between Roman and Tamara are portrayed.”
– Alingsås Tidning (SE)

“‘It was not the first time that she had woken up with a dead bird on her chest’. What a remarkable way to begin a novel! Catrin Ormestad’s Daughter of the Sea has me instantly hooked at that. […] The author takes love seriously. The encounter between two people is allowed to be a beautiful story. The landscape is vividly present and not merely a backdrop. The characters are complex people standing at crucial crossroads. How can we live in harmony? What is freedom? Is there any future for humanity? Faced with the vastness of the sea, the big questions arise naturally.”
– Arbetarbladet (SE)