Arv og miljø [Will and Testament] is about incest, trauma, and an inheritance dispute among four middle-aged siblings concerning testamentary dispositions of two beloved and valuable family cabins. Similarities between the characters in the novel and members of the author’s family were evident to the Norwegian public. Consequently, the novel provoked a counter novel Fri vilje [Free Will] from Hjorth’s sister. Within the general framework of Norwegian inheritance law, this article analyzes the interplay between emotions, intimate relationships, and financial dispositions as expressed in the testament and in the conflicting views on fairness and equity articulated in the two novels.