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Jon Fosse: Vaim Hotell (Vaim Hotel))

We have seenVaim before inFosse’s previous novel. Vaim is a small, fictitious fishing village. It is not only the village but possibly some of the characters as well at reappear, as was most of them are not named it is difficult to determine both for the reader and indeed, as we shall see, many of the characters themselves.

Our unnamed narrator is driving around in a car. he had only bought the previous day and saw the signs to.Vaim and its hotel. He suspects, as with many other Norwegian rural hotels, that it is long since closed down and the same for the shop. But he is mistaken as it is open.. He is not sure why he landed up there but as he did but as there is a hotel he decides to stop there. He has no idea how long he plans to stay. On arrival he is welcomed by the/owner who who is calledBrita.rBrita seems to recognise him but she is unsure. He does not think he recognises her. She gives him room 407 but why, when the hotel seems almost empty, does he get such a remote room which is particularly difficult as there is no lift and he has two heavy cases, mainly containing books.? She tells him that the restaurant is open till 11 o’clock and he he heads up to his room, lugging his cases. The first thing that he notices about the room is that there is a beautiful woven blanket on bed which he feels is too good to be put on a bed but should be hung up and and he feels guilty about lying on it still wearing his shoes.

Brita knocks at the door and as he had locked it, he goes to the door opens it. She tells him that as a c\ient of of the hotel, he will get a 10% deduction at the restaurant. Both stand there looking at one another and neither makes a move. When he finally raises the issue, she claims that that is typical.Vaim behaviour.
He eventually goes downstairs, but she insists that he leave the key with her other clients have lost their keys. When he goes outside one of the men seems to recognise him but is not sure.
Outside, he sees a beautiful boat called Eline arriving. We have met this boat and its owner in the previous book.

He returns inside, but cannot find Brita though he rings the bell and his key is missing from behind the desk. He goes up to his room and find.Brita is in his room his case is open and holding his bag which contains his wallet and keys. She claims she was just tidying up for him.

He goes back outside and visits the store. He looks at a fishing rod but decides against it as he has not fished since he was a boy. However, the owner uses a bit of high-pressure salesmanship and persuades him to buy it which he does. He goes to the restaurant and then leaves his fishing rod while he goes upstairs to his room. When he returns the fishing rod has been moved behind the counter. The only other customer there, The owner of theEline, warns him that it is is his a known scam. A client buys a fishing rod.Brita takes it and puts it behind the counter. She denies that it is his. Disgruntled client leaves without fishing rod. Brita and the. store owner share the profit. The store, owner , as in this case, denies having sold him the fishing rod.In fact, it does not turn out like that as he does get the rod back because Brita wants him to catch a fish so she can make some more fishcakes which, and,with difficulty, he manages to catch a big fish.

More mysterious things happen. His bag disappears, but he does find it, or rather Brita finds it., in the dining room. However, when he checks the wallet he finds his car keys and money s are missing. As he cannot pay for anything Brita co-opts him to help her change the lightbulbs in the rooms of which they are quite a few.

He is given more tasks to do to pay his way. He never seems to find his wallet or his car keys.

His his room overlook s what looks like some a somewhat derelict house, but he does see someone in there. Brita insists that no-one has lived in that house for some time but he continues to see a woman there. The other mystery is that the bell at the front often rings and there is no -one there.

The second part of the book is from Brita’s perspective. She insists that she did not take over his wallet or his car keys. She does make an excursion to neighbouring town to try out their restaurant and their hotel. However, she is highly critical and feels they are not up to the same standard as her hotel. When she recounts this to the store , owner he said he does the same thing, buying something from a local store and then always complaining about it.

As we might expect from Fosse things are not always what they seem to be, both for the characters and the reader and as always, readers and characters are left somewhat baffled.

First published in 2026 by Det Norske samlaget
First published in English in 2026 by Fitzcarraldo (UK); Transit (US)
Translated by Damion Searls.