Reviews

• “Know that we see you is thought-provoking and topical and made me reflect where boundaries are passed, in many respects. The novel is thoroughly unsettling in its depiction of the two women/friends’ acting and power play with each other. The discomfort and tension was so palpable it was seeping out of the pages. Meanwhile, the predominantly unpleasant consequences that the women who come forward in these cases are subjected to are nuanced, as is the way that the power and pressure of the outside world can make even the strongest person waiver in their judgment.”

• “[W]ell-written. /…/ [Aagaard’s] many little character descriptions work so well, are elegant and give a quick insight into our narrator Helene’s understanding of the outside world.”

• “The nuances are masterfully described and one is sucked into the narrative. (…) [A] little gem. /…/ A huge recommendation to everyone interested in these debates (or simply in a sublime story). Here the reader is given an insight into the human psyche, when it’s pressured beyond all limits. Lies, doubt, secrets and truths in a frightening blend. Well-written, topical and stomach-knot-inducingly masterful.”

• “As the reader we’re not always in the know, things are implied, we have to guess, perhaps to reflect what it’s like in real harassment-cases. This helps to maintain a nerve throughout the read. (…) In a great and nuanced manner, the novel explores the difficult time in the wake of a public harassment case with all the shame, doubt and uncertainty that follows.”

• “There’s plenty of suspense in Aagaard’s novel about a MeToo-case in the media industry, where Aagaard doesn’t only depict the psychological consequences an assault can have for the offended party, but also zooms in on the media frenzy that comes with many of these stories. /…/ Know That We See You is not only a captivating read, it also gives an interesting insight into the many mechanisms, that are triggered in connection with MeToo-cases; not the least the self-doubt that many victims have to battle with, not least in high profile cases, where the offender is famous (and perhaps also well-respected) media personality. It’s also a novel about the people’s court, that can both acquit an offender and convict the victim.”

• “[For readers of] captivating stories with plot twists. /…/ A truly well-written novel that the reader will devour. The author achieves to get up close to all the various emotions that #MeToo-cases brings forth, and as the reader one also doubts, what truly happened. The author gradually builds the narrative tension curve, and it remains gripping until the very end.”

• “Know That We See You is a nerve-wracking novel about the dark sides of new relationships, internet harassment and a high profile harassment case experienced from the very inside.”

• “It’s unbelievably well-written and one sits invariably with a knot in one’s stomach – both over the case itself and its threads – and over the way, things now unfold. It reminds of a psychological thriller. The way the story is ominously built up made me feel I sat on needles, that seemed to get more and more sharp along the way.”

• “It’s deals with doubt. The unavoidable doubt. Can one know the truth about an assault, that one hasn’t been part of, neither as the victim or perpetrator? Can one know, what truly happened, when there aren’t any concrete evidence? And how does one tackle this doubt, this unavoidable doubt, when you want to take a moral stand, but know that you can’t, because the doubt is still there? These are big questions, and they are some of the questions that Eva Aaagard has asked herself and that she presents in her new novel ‘Know that we see you’. And it’s worth the read (…) One of the reasons, is that so nicely gives room to the doubts instead of the utter conviction. Another is that this is a novel where the big questions are asked though a concrete story, with concrete people. With room for nuances. A third is that it’s written with an assured hand, with an elementary stylistic surplus, which elevates it to more than ‘just’ a relevant interjection in a relevant debate. A great novel, simply. /…/ Because yes, they really exist out there, the authors that can write about the essential without compromising on the aesthetic. There are authors that like Eva Aaagaard are worth reading, simply because they simply can do just that: write. /…/ Know that we see you is written without unnecessary digressions, but with exactly the doses of little actions, small observations, little everyday things, subtle descriptions that frame the story and infuses it with life. /…/ [Eva Aagaard] is a fine writer. There is absolutely no doubt about that.”