Paradise Rot

A novel about a Norwegian girl Johanna - Jo who moves to the fictitious Australian city Aybourne to study biology. When she arrives to Aybourne Jo lives in an old motel before she finds a room in a strange, old factory with a girl named Carral.

The mushrooms Jo studies become a metaphor for a transcending sexuality; mushrooms can reproduce without gender. How they grow together and cover each other seem to reflect the relationship between Jo and Carral.

A complex, poetic and strange novel about bodies, sexuality and the female gender.

The novel is a feminist, mysterious, cool and describes feelings of sexual awakening and ambiguity that are both familiar and well written. The book also places itself within the artistry of Jenny Hval, taking up the same topics as her music and sound installations, pointing out the direction she has taken as an artist since 2009.