Beyond the Great Indoors by Ingvar Ambjornsen

Beyond the Great Indoors is (as far as I know) the only one of Ingvar Ambjørnsen's four Elling novels to be translated into English from the original Norwegian, which is a shame as it's the third in the series and it would make sense to be able to start from the beginning. This third novel is the one that was made into the fantastic film Elling. If you've seen the film, you'll notice it hasn't strayed very far from the novel, though you get more of Elling's thoughts and feelings in the book than you do in the voice-over.

For those who haven't seen the film, I'll try and sum up what the book's about. Elling is in his thirties and shares a flat in Oslo with his friend Kjell Bjarne. However, far from being young professionals, they became friends in 'an exclusive country retreat' as I think Elling puts it at one point, where he was 'recovering from stress' - he was forcibly removed there by the police when he had a breakdown after his beloved mother died. The social services are giving this unlikely pair a chance to prove that they can live within the community, learning skills like shopping, cooking, working to a budget, using the telephone and answering the door. As this is a comic novel, there are plenty of funny moments within the touching friendship between prissy, pompous Elling and his uncomplicated bear of a flatmate.

Trying to stick to a 'whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger' philosophy (Elling has been told that if he puts himself in a new situation and copes, that's one more experience he can learn from), they push their boundaries beyond the confines of their minimalist bachelor apartment and out into the cafes and parks of Oslo, making friends, discovering things about themselves and each other, and experiencing a few minor triumphs along the way. The humour is more wry smile and gentle satire than laugh out loud, and I think I've been influenced by the fabulous performance of Per Christian Ellefson in the film, but I'd still recommend the book as an entertaining and uplifting experience.