A sweet and dark little Christmas tale, presumably inspired by the Little Match Girl.

Ronja (the 'Robber's Daughter') and her sister Melissa grow up poor because their father, though he loves them very much, is an alcoholic who cannot hold a job and cannot take care of his daughters. The girls find a job selling Christmas trees.

It is quite a straightforward story, sometimes categorised as YA or even Children, but that doesn't mean it doesn't make an impact and makes you think about poverty, kindness and charity. I read it in November, but should probably have waited until late December.

Brightly Shining
By Ingvild H Rishøl

Translated from the Norwegian by Caroline Waight

A short story with a festive theme that could be in conversation with The Little Match Girl. A motherless family of two young girls and their well intentioned, but hopelessly alcoholic father are preparing for Christmas with slightly more hope than previous years, thanks to a lucky seasonal employment opportunity, but more money to spend means more money to drink.

Thanks to the endless goodness of some key figures in their community, and the girls' boundless resilience, the wolf has been kept from the door, but as the days become colder and wetter, the story evokes memories of that poor little Danish girl that introduced a lot of us to our first thoughts of tragedy.

Told from the perspective of the younger sister, 10 year old Ronja, the writing style is breezy, accessible. I don't always enjoy younger voices in fiction, but this young one has had to grow up years before her time, so her world-weary facade which cracks occasionally to allow glimpses of her true innocence adds a tenderness to the tone.

In this story, we root for everyone, from Melissa, the wise and responsible for her years 16 year old sister, Tommy, their father's boss who pulls out all the stops to enable their earning power, the immigrant Caretaker who understands a situation and steers a course direction that changes everything, to Mr. Aronsen who knows how to feed a hungry girl and make it look like she's doing him a favour.

This story took less than two hours to read. For 80% of that I was completely invested in Ronja and Melissa's mission. I was seriously worried about the possible implication of it's Little Match girl ending, but something happened and I don't know what. The ending went down the drain leaving me confused and dissatisfied. Perhaps something lost in translation.

Publication date: 7th November 2024
Thanks to #NetGalley and #AtlanticBooks for providing an ARC for review purposes.

Brightly shining is a tale about sisterhood.
Ronja and Melissa’s father is out of work, with Christmas just around the corner, when Ronja hears about a job at the local Christmas tree stand. Soon their father comes homes smiling with fresh groceries in tow, but when the local pub becomes irresistible to him once again, he quickly abandons his responsibilities. Melissa decides to take her father’s place at the stand, and Ronja tags along.
For such a small novella, this one definitely packs a punch. An impactful read, especially for the winter season.
The writing is was a bit hard to get into, it read like a classic which I don’t read a lot of usually, so it took some time getting used to the writing style. This may also be the translation, as the original language is Norwegian.
The core story really is about sisterly love and sisterhood, which I think will resonate with a lot of people.
Overall, I think this novella is the perfect length for a quick, but impactful read. And if you are fan of Claire Keegan, this one is definitely for you!

Brightly Shining by Ingvild Rishøi is a charming Christmas read.

The book is set in Toyen in Norway where two sisters, Melissa and Ronja, live with their alcoholic out-of-work father. The girls have had to grow up quickly and have learned to look out for each other. Fortunately, the school’s caretaker and a neighbour look out for them.

The book centres on the build up to Christmas. The school caretaker finds a job for the girls father selling Christmas Trees for Erik. To begin with the job goes well and their father brings home food, but how long will he last? When he eventually falls of the wagon, Melissa persuades Erik to give her a job selling Christmas Trees, which she does before and after school.

The girls hope and dream of a wonderful Christmas and a better life. But will they get their Christmas miracle?

The book is utterly compelling and you’re rooting for the girls all the way through. You just want them to have the wonderful Christmas that they're dreaming of and a better life.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Atlantic Books | Grove Press UK, for making the e-ARC available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.