Book Extract: The Silent Resistance by Anna Normann

Published February 18, 2026 | By Laura

I’m excited to be welcoming Anna Normann to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for The Silent Resistance.

Occupied Norway, 1944. Anni endures the war alone, aiding the resistance while longing for news of her sailor husband. Her daughter, Ingrid, is her joy, and Anni is determined to keep her safe. But when a German official is billeted at their home, danger escalates, and Anni faces an agonising dilemma.

London, 1952. Ingrid has been trying to understand her mother’s mysterious disappearance at the war’s end. Clinging to Anni’s promise that she would always come back for her, Ingrid sets out to discover what happened all those years ago.

Grab that beverage of your choice and find that comfortable chair. Anna Normann has kindly shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy.

*****beginning of extract*****

While people didn’t starve in Norway during the war, they went hungry and children were malnourished. No food could be imported, and the approximately 400.000 German soldiers stationed in Norway had first pick.

I grew up listening to stories about the food during the war. The rancid cod liver oil used for cooking, the turnip they fried in the oil, the salty herring. No butter, no sugar, no chocolate. I couldn’t even imagine how horrible that was.

Ingrid looked up from her dolly and teddy, who by now had arrived in China. ‘I’m hungry, mamma.’

‘Me too. I have potatoes and more potatoes. Would you like that?’ Anni said.

‘Can we fry the potatoes, mamma?’ Ingrid loved crispy potatoes, even those fried in cod liver oil.

‘I’m sorry, sweet pea. I can’t open the windows because of the wind. The whole house will be filled by smoke from the oil,’ Anni said.

Ingrid wrinkled her nose. ‘Can we have herring?’

‘Yes, we can have herring.’

And more herring, Anni thought, trying not to reveal for Ingrid how tired she was of the salty fish. When this war is over, I’ll never eat fish again, she swore to herself.

‘You stay in here, while I go downstairs to find what we need,’ Anni said.

Ingrid leaned forward. ‘But what about the bad man, mamma?’

Oh, dear, Anni thought. ‘Herr Kerber isn’t a bad man. I’ve told you that. He’s in his room and he won’t bother us. I’ll be gone for a few minutes. You wait here where it’s warm. Okay?’

‘Yes, mamma.’ Ingrid didn’t look convinced, but Anni knew she didn’t like the cellar much.

She went out into the hallway to find the key, closing the door to the lounge behind her. There was nothing they could arrest her for hidden in the cellar now, but still. She had no intention of making it easy for Kerber.

The key was hidden in a crack in the doorframe. Anni crouched down and fished it out. It wasn’t visible to anyone, and the house had plenty of cracks.

Then she picked her coat from the hallway before returning to the kitchen. The cellar door was always locked, she made sure of that. The habit was so ingrained, she never forgot.

Anni unlocked the door and put the key in her pocket.

‘Damn,’ she muttered. Better to keep the key in the key box from now on. A locked door would only make him more curious.

She turned the switch and the lightbulb flickered on. The chill made her shudder.

The cellar was made up of two large rooms, the first one had shelves on every wall, filled with mostly empty glass jars. Anni sighed when she spotted a lonely tin of sardines in a corner. She had that saved for Christmas. Ingrid loved the olive oil they used, a lot more than the cod liver oil.

The potato bin was closest to the staircase. Anni could see the levels were low, but she also knew there was no reason to panic. Not yet, anyway.

She took a pot from the top shelf, and put a few potatoes in it, enough for dinner and breakfast. From the bin next to the potatoes, she took a smaller turnip. Not many left of those either, she noticed.

Anni drew her breath. There was nothing to worry about. Guri had food in her cellar, more than enough for them and for possible refugees.

From a barrel in the corner, she picked out a herring. It smelled strongly of pickled fish, but she hardly noticed anymore.

‘What I would give for a piece of bacon,’ she muttered.

*****end of extract*****

About Anna Normann –

Anna Normann is the pseudonym of authors Anan Singh and Natalie Normann, and it all happened because of a bet. Sometime in the nineteen eighties, while watching a movie with a so-so plot, they started arguing about improving the plot and how they could write a better story than that mess. And then Anan’s wife said ‘I bet you can’t’ …

Since then, they have published seven books together in Norwegian, exploring different genres. Their first novel, set in WW2, won a competition in 1995 for ‘Norway’s best entertainment novel’.

Click to follow Anna Normann on social media.

The Silent Resistance was released in 2025 by Allison & Busby. Click to buy on Amazon.