In this week's edition of Endnotes, we take a look at the late Torborg Nedreaas's Nothing Grows by Moonlight. In its review, PW says it is "surcharged with emotional power,"

Here's how the book came together:

Rachel Rokicki

VP and Publishing Director, Modern Library and Backlist

“I came across the late Torborg Nedreaas while researching a trip to Bergen, Norway, where she was born. Last year, I met with Amelia Evans, rights director at PRH UK, who told me about this book. I immediately thought it would be an excellent fit for Modern Library’s Torchbearers series, which highlights under- appreciated women writers who wrote on their own terms. Though it was published in 1947, its themes of class and sexuality make it feel timely.”

Bibbi Lee

Translator

“Translating great fiction is akin to stepping into an author’s body while hoping to find the voice that goes with it. I think the author would have been pleased to find herself appreciated by an English-language audience, and I am immensely grateful to have become her link to that growing readership.”

Talia Cieslinski

Assistant Editor, Random House

“I read this novel like I was watching a play—entranced and teary-eyed, and when it ended, eager to discuss this universal story that illuminates the insidious ways gender roles have shaped the world around me. A large part of my editorial process was making sure the packaging and positioning of the novel communicated to a broad swathe of readers the universal, evergreen sentiment of womanhood and agency.”

Miriam Khanukaev

Assistant Editor, Random House

“We thought Sheila Heti could capture the book’s themes beautifully in an introduction, and I felt so lucky to be able to work with her to emphasize the destabilizing, visceral impact of the read, and the relevance it has to contemporary readers.”

Daphne Chiang

Designer, Random House

“Nothing Grows by Moonlight is a story of loneliness and vulnerability, and my goal was to translate that mood into a visual language. I focused on imagery of night, moonlight, and a solitary woman, and found a painting on Bridgeman Images that perfectly captured that emotion. I added the moon and its light in Photoshop to match the scene I’d envisioned.”