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Will and Testament (novel)Will and Testament (Norwegian: Arv og milj�) is an absurdist fiction novel written by Norwegian author Vigdis Hjorth. It was written and published in 2016 by Cappelen Damm. In 2019 the novel was translated into English by Charlotte Barslund and published by Verso Books. Will and Testament tells the story of Bergljot, a woman living with a history of sexual assault, as she gets caught up in family drama over an inheritance dispute that reignites childhood trauma. The novel received numerous awards but also received backlash for accused literary ethics violations.

Plot
Will and Testament is narrated by Bergljot who recalls the events leading up to and following her father's death through sporadic flashbacks.

Bergljot is sexually assaulted and raped by her father, Bj�nar, from age five to seven. Her father also physically beats Bergljot's older brother B�rd. Bergljot represses these early childhood experiences. As she ages, her guilt-ridden father begins to treat her differently than his other children, and Bergljot's mother, Inga, works hard to cover up her husband's criminal actions. In her twenties, Bergljot confronts her parents about her childhood, but they deny that any abuse had taken place. Bergljot cuts off contact with her parents and the siblings who would not believe her, maintaining contact only with her brother B�rd. For about twenty years, the two halves of the family exist separately.

Both Bergljot and her mother Inga have affairs with married men. Bergljot's paramour gets a divorce to have a relationship with her, although that relationship soon crumbles. Inga's paramour passes away which leads Inga to overdose and become hospitalized. Bergljot�s younger sisters, �sa and Astrid, come to their mother's aid, while Bergljot and B�rd attempt to maintain their distance. Bergljot is eventually pulled back into contact with her mother because of her medical emergency. Inga uses this as an opportunity to discuss the family inheritance with Bergljot.

It is revealed that only �sa and Astrid will be given rights to the family cabins. Bergljot and B�rd will be financially compensated, but the valuations completed on the cabins were inaccurate. Bergljot and B�rd are shorted on their inheritance, and B�rd takes offense. When B�rd confronts the rest of the family on the will's disparities, Bergljot sides with him, vocalizing her concerns as well. The siblings exchange heated emails and text messages. Bergljot feels that her underlying conflict with her father's sexual abuse is being ignored and that her testimony is being actively suppressed by her family. Her father dies after a stroke causes him to fall down the stairs. Her mother, �sa, and Astrid are distraught, while Bergljot is relieved. The father's will now becomes even more relevant, and arguments continue over the cabin's valuations and how the inheritance is going to be distributed. Her mother pressures Bergljot to come to a family lunch before her father's funeral. Bergljot anxiously and begrudgingly attends both events.

When the siblings and their mother meet with a financial advisor to discuss the final will, Bergljot reads an accusation of her sexual assault aloud to her family to which her family objects. B�rd sides with Bergljot; the family remains divided despite Astrid's attempt to salvage their relationship. Each sibling receives an equal allotment of the family inheritance, but only �sa and Astrid are given the cabins. Bergljot does not seek reconciliation with her family, specifically denying her mother the possibility of repaired relationship.

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