Summer of 1991. Morten Bodrum and his three-year-older brother Markus are among a gang of friends who go off to lake Varsjøen to swim. Markus falls off a cliff, hits his head and drowns. More than 20 years later, Morten gets a phone call from a childhood friend Tommy Lystad, who claims he knows what actually happened on that summer day down at the lake. Morten Bodrum is jerked out of what are already difficult circumstances, and sets out on a journey that is to prove a watershed in his life. Varsjøen is a novel about the dark sides of growing up in Norway – an elegant, low-key and at times amusing portrayal of a man who has both past and present turned upside-down. «Even stronger is Blatt's literary achievement, making an everyday hero's odyssey into a thrilling tour de force that I read impatiently to discover how and where it all will end.» ***** (5 out of 6 stars), Dagbladet «Recommended!» ***** (5 out of 6 stars), Adresseavisen «The talent shown by Thomas Marco Blatt in his poetry, which secured him Tarjei Vesaas' Debut Prize, is in full bloom in Varsjøen. We are eagerly waiting for more.» ***** (5 out of 6 stars), Romerikes blad «Thomas Marco Blatt's prose is simultaneously clear-cut, accurate and imaginative ... I had expectations to Thomas Marco Blatt's first novel. I was not disappointed.» NRK «Convincing novel debut ...» Dag og Tid «Thomas Marco Blatt has written a low-voiced captivating novel...» Klassekampen