Asbjørn Meiner

Asbjørn Meiner is Else Meiner’s father and the first member of the family to meet the police at their large yellow house on Rolandsgata. His brief appearance joins two roles: an agitated father reacting to what has happened to Else, and a resident who can describe the street and its long-standing inhabitants.

Family and First Appearance

Konrad Sejer and Jacob Skarre approach the Meiner home after observing it from a distance; several old, broken-down Mercedes stand in the driveway. Asbjørn opens the door and slams doors angrily, visibly upset by the incident. When Else does not appear at once, he calls for her, first by name and then by telling her that the police are there.

The officers expect to find a frightened girl, but Else comes down the hall in faded jeans and a vest top, her short red hair sticking out in all directions rather than held in a plait. Asbjørn watches her with resignation and acknowledges that this is how she looks now. His response registers a change in her appearance without explaining its circumstances; Sejer, by contrast, tells her that she looks great.

Bearing and Demeanour

Asbjørn is described as big and heavyset. When he speaks with the officers, he stands broad-legged with his hips thrust forward, a posture likened to that of a ship’s captain. The physical confidence of the pose sits alongside his visible anger at the door and the resignation with which he regards Else’s altered appearance. The scene presents his reactions through gestures and brief exchanges rather than through any account of what he thinks about the incident.

Account of the Street

Asbjørn tells Sejer that the residents are good people and says the police will find nothing on the street. When Sejer points to the old house at the far end, Asbjørn explains that it predates the surrounding homes and that its owner has a right to remain there, despite the house’s appearance and its old asbestos tiles.

He identifies the resident as Henry Beskow, an old man who, according to Asbjørn, rarely leaves the house. A carer comes to get Henry out of bed in the morning, and a teenager on a moped visits repeatedly. Asbjørn guesses that the boy is Henry’s grandson, then asks Else who he is. She curtly says she has no idea and leaves the room. Her answer does not confirm Asbjørn’s assumption, leaving the boy’s identity unresolved in this exchange.