they: 'The literary masterpiece of 2026' - Stylist

'Slow your heart, slow your attention span – you'll be mesmerised' Daily Telegraph

'Precise, controlled and unforgettable, they is a book that begs the reader to slow down and take notice' Guardian

'They go for a walk by the playing fields, the anemones are out.'

In the small Danish town of Rødby, a mother and her sixteen-year-old daughter live uneventfully, each day marked by routine and a quiet intimacy. Together, they are a family; complete, content – and fragile.

When the mother begins to feel unwell, everything and nothing changes. They go about their lives, talk about anything but the diagnosis. The daughter takes tentative steps into adulthood. Still, illness – and the possibility of loss – cast an expansive shadow over the rituals of daily life.

they is a tender and piercing exploration of a mother–daughter relationship, brought into startling focus by Helle Helle's distinctive, immediate prose.

'A marvel . . . almost unbearably poignant' Irish Times

'You laugh and laugh, cry and cry. Not bawling or sobbing, but quiet and intense. That's what it’s like reading Helle Helle' Politiken

'Helle's exquisite prose exposes the loveliness in the everyday; we feel the unspoken currents of feeling'BookBrunch