Júlia, a young environmental physicist, arrives in Longyearbyen, in the Arctic, for a research placement. In this remote and extreme environment, she finds an unexpectedly welcoming routine, a singular community and an intense relationship with Týra, a woman carrying deep scars and searching for stability. Through love, cohabitation and conflict, Júlia is forced to confront her fears, her emotional vulnerability and the need to make life-defining choices. Against the backdrop of the polar landscape, with its extremes of light and darkness, she undergoes a profound personal transformation.

The Light of Svalbard is a story about choosing to stay, to care and to love despite uncertainty. A novel that challenges both the desire to belong and the impulse to keep moving.

“My family hasn’t felt like home for a long time, and nor has any other place.”

“In my experience, the monsters don’t go away, no matter how much you ignore them.”

“You either wanted to escape as soon as your contract there was up, or it sucked you in.”