Blue Notes by Anne Cathrine Bomann, Translated by Caroline Waight

How much grief is too much? How far should we go to avoid pain? From the author of the international bestselling novel Agatha comes a literary medical thriller about loss, empathy, science, Big Pharma, and societal norms.

A Danish university research group is finishing its study of a new medicine, Callocain: the world’s first pill for grief. But psychology professor Thorsten Gjeldsted suspects that someone has manipulated the test results to hide a disturbing side effect. When no one believes him, he teams up with two young students to investigate: Anna, who has recently experienced traumatic grief herself, and Shadi, whose statistical skills might prevent her from living a quiet life in the shadows. Together, these sleuthing academics try to discover what’s really happening before the drug becomes widely available.

Blue Notes is brimming with ethical and existential ideas about the search for identity and one’s place in the world, while offering a highly original literary adventure that ultimately underscores the healing power of love.

Praise for Blue Notes:

“Part suspense novel, part character study, Blue Notes takes us into the world of Big Pharma, greed, and the pathologization of emotion. But at its heart, it is a touching meditation on love and loss and what it means to be truly human.” —Elyse Friedman, author of The Opportunist

“Like watching a beautiful wound heal over, Blue Notes embraces the necessary scars that hold us together.” —Andrew F. Sullivan, author of The Marigold

“Blue Notes strength lies in the author’s ability to portray the different ways grief can manifest: Bomann uses the individual characters and their lives to open up a discussion about whether grief is really a disease or ‘merely’ an inevitable reaction to loss.” —Jyllands-Posten

“A captivating novel about grief, science, and love. I was hooked from the start.” —Anettes Litteratursalon

“Anne Cathrine Bomann writes about grief in the most beautiful way. The novel’s greatest asset is its strong characters, as well as the genuinely moving descriptions of how it feels to be mired in profound grief. It is a fascinating, well-written, and thought-provoking book.” —Hverdagsbog

Press Coverage

Notable Books Launching in February 2024 —CLMP

“Blue Notes is a gripping read. It’s thoughtful and philosophical … and it hasn’t let go of me very easily since I finished reading it.” —Alison Manley, The Miramichi Reader

“With striking precision, Blue Notes reveals the sinister financial motives that often underpin big pharma. Although straightforward and plot driven, the book considers profound questions about mental illness… In Bomann’s narrative, grief is nebulous.” —Caroline Noël, Literary Review of Canada

“Blue Notes asks important questions about how we respond to loss, about what grief means, and about what—or, better yet, who—gets us through it.” —Noah Slaughter, Full Stop

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