Denmark offers more than just beautiful landscapes and history; it’s the backdrop for some truly fantastic stories.
If you’re looking for novels that transport you to Copenhagen’s streets, Greenland’s icy expanses (part of the Danish Realm!), or historical periods full of drama, here are ten books you might enjoy.
They cover everything from mysteries and historical adventures to deep character studies.
Smilla Jaspersen is a fascinating character. She is Greenlandic Inuit and lives in Copenhagen. When Isaiah, a young Greenlandic boy she felt close to, falls from a roof and dies, the official explanation doesn’t sit right with her.
Smilla knows snow and ice intimately, and the tracks tell her a different story. Her search for the truth starts in the city but eventually pulls her toward the vast, dangerous ice fields of Greenland.
It’s a unique mystery where Smilla’s deep knowledge of the Arctic environment is crucial.
This book takes you right into Nazi-occupied Denmark during World War II. A group of high school friends decides they can’t just stand by. They start small, with acts of sabotage against the German forces.
You follow these boys, particularly Lars and his brother Gunnar, as their rebellious acts become more serious. The story really shows their bravery, the strain on their friendships, and the tough choices young people had to make under occupation.
Imagine an 18th-century Danish-Norwegian priest, Morten Falck, who travels to Greenland. He intends to convert the Inuit population but finds himself completely unprepared.
The environment is brutal, the local culture is complex and resistant, and Falck himself battles personal demons and desires. The novel gives a raw look at colonial encounters, questions of faith, and the sheer difficulty of survival in that time and place.
It doesn’t shy away from the harsh details.
This one is quite unusual. A man wakes up with no memory of who he is. He must navigate a world that feels disjointed, almost fluid, where his understanding of reality shifts constantly.
His attempts to reconstruct his identity lead him to a strange institute that might actually control or manipulate time. The book plays with perception and makes you think about what defines a person.
Step back into 18th-century Danish court politics. King Christian VII is mentally unstable, and his German physician, Johann Friedrich Struensee, gains remarkable influence over him. Struensee is a man of the Enlightenment. He starts to enact radical reforms across Denmark.
At the same time, he begins a secret, intense affair with the Queen, Caroline Mathilde. History, power struggles, and forbidden romance come together in this story.
This novel poses some tough questions about personality and responsibility. Frederik develops a brain tumor, and his personality undergoes a drastic change. His wife, Mia, watches the man she married seemingly vanish. Is he still Frederik, deep down?
Or is the tumor now in control? As Mia cares for him, she also uncovers disturbing information about Frederik’s actions before anyone knew about the tumor, which complicates everything.
In 19th-century Denmark, young Marianne loses her mother and must journey to find her father. Her search takes her to a remote fishing village on the Jutland coast, a place defined by the sea and strong traditions. Life there is hard, and the community is close-knit.
Marianne has to adapt while she also learns about long-hidden family secrets. The descriptions of the coastal landscape are really vivid.
The story unfolds through the eyes of a young boy who lives in Denmark during the uncertain 1930s. You experience his everyday life, but see how the larger political shifts in Europe, especially the rise of fascism nearby, cast a shadow over everything.
It’s a personal look at how world events filter down and shape a child’s understanding and the atmosphere of a nation on edge.
Fans of historical action will know Richard Sharpe. In this adventure, set in 1807, Sharpe is sent to Copenhagen. The Napoleonic Wars are raging, and the British are worried about the powerful Danish fleet falling into French hands.
Sharpe’s mission involves espionage, potential bombardment, and navigating treacherous alliances within the city. Expect plenty of historical detail, danger, and Sharpe’s characteristic grit.
Although set in the Faroe Islands (part of the Kingdom of Denmark), this novel feels essential. It takes place in the 1600s. A new Danish minister, Reverend Peder Børresen, arrives full of ideals. He wants to fight corruption and help the islanders.
However, he quickly runs into opposition from entrenched local powers and inflexible church officials. The stark setting and the struggles of the Faroese community create a powerful story about idealism against harsh reality.