Sharon White, "If the Owl Calls" (WTAW Press, 2025)

Nov 19, 2025

In this engaging discussion, award-winning author Sharon White delves into her novel, exploring the struggle of the Sami community in northern Norway against a controversial dam project. She shares insights on her protagonist, Hans Sorensen, an Oslo detective grappling with personal loss and reconciling with his Sami heritage. The landscape of Finnmark plays a crucial role in the narrative, while two women—a journalist and a musician—drive the mystery forward. White's lyrical storytelling intertwines identity, survival, and cultural memory in a rich tapestry.

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ANECDOTE

Author's Personal Norway Experience

Sharon White lived in Finnmark when she was young and returned years later considering a permanent move.
She decided not to stay because of the months-long winter darkness that made living there untenable.

INSIGHT

Survival Is Emotional And Physical

The novel frames survival as both emotional and physical against Finnmark's harshness.
Characters' lives intertwine with the land, making identity and survival inseparable themes.

ANECDOTE

American Character's Backstory

Catherine, an American, ends up in far-north Norway through a youth placement program on a farm.
She sought the wilderness romantically but learns the reality of harsh northern living.

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As the Sami community (Norway) struggles to protect ancestral lands from the building of a damn in 1979, Oslo detective Hans Sorensen arrives in the north of the country to investigate sabotage on a damn. Then a body is discovered, and Sorensen has to delve into his own past and heritage. He is Sami but no longer immersed in the culture, and Sorensen is also mourning the recent death of his wife, so he’s hesitant to return to his hometown. He ends up following the trail of two women, a journalist and a musician, and discovers the writings of a relative, a real-life Sami author who wrote about his struggle to survive. If the Owl Calls (Sharon White, WTAW Press 2025) is a fascinating mystery filled with Norwegian and Sami history, about identity and memory.

Sharon White is an award-winning author whose work spans nonfiction, poetry, and fiction. She has written extensively about nature, place, and memory, bringing a lyrical and reflective voice to her storytelling. Her books include Vanished Gardens, the AWP Award in Creative Nonfiction winner; Boiling Lake, winner of the Italo Calvino Prize in Fabulist Fiction; and Minato Sketches, a Rosemary Daniell Prize winner. White received her BA in English Literature from Colby College and spent a year studying at Manchester College, Oxford University. She has an MFA from Goddard College, where she was a member of the first class of graduates in Ellen Bryant Voigt’s innovative program. She holds a PhD in English Literature from the University of Denver. An Associate Professor Emerita at Temple University, White has dedicated her career to writing and teaching. A passionate traveler, she draws inspiration from diverse landscapes and cultures. In Scandinavia she researched the life of Danish painter Emilie Demant Hatt, and in 2019, as an artist-in-residence in Dunedin, New Zealand, she immersed in the region’s literary and artistic culture. She has also taught creative writing at Temple University Japan. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, Scott Masker. When not working or traveling, she loves to garden and take walks around the city. She also enjoys skiing and biking.

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