Description

Norwegian journalist Line Nagell Ylvisåker lives with her family in Longyear, the northernmost settlement in the Svalbard archipelago, where global warming is accelerating faster than anywhere else on the planet.

In 2015, an avalanche hit the center of the village, killing a little girl and the father of another family. The following autumn brought rain and landslides. With the onset of winter, a new avalanche hit Longyear homes. Increasingly frequent storms and thaws make Linae anxious. What is happening to her village and the Arctic? In search of answers, Linae talks to a meteorologist who was himself carried away by the avalanche. Leane visits a hunter who has survived 40 winters in the harsh conditions of Svalbard. She learns about sea currents and weather, looks for signs of prehistoric forests in the archipelago and meets three bears while hiking with her children. During her research trip, she describes the changes Longyear is going through and reflects on the paradoxes of a settlement living off coal mining and tourism.

This is a fearless and candid first-hand account of the Arctic.