Author: Malin Persson Giolito, Monica Carlsen (translator)
Published: 2016
Language: Norwegian (translated from Swedish)
Pages: 448
Rating: 5/5
Summary:
A mass shooting has taken place at a prep school in Stockholm's wealthiest suburb and eighteen year old Maja Norberg is charged with her involvement in the massacre that left her classmates dead, including her best friend and her boyfriend.
Review:
It's been a while since I've read a book that has had be as glued to the page and on the edge of my seat as this novel.
We follow the main character through her trial while she's also looking back at what really happened and everything is slowly revealed to us. What I thought was so fascinating about this is that she's quite unlikable and it's hard to navigate who she is and what her involvement really was. You're constantly changing your mind about her and the people she was around. There's something particular in the way the main character expresses herself that feels incredibly realistic.
I also think the story captures a lot of interesting things about Swedish society, which is quite similar to society here in Norway and a lot of it is just so on point, it really hit home with me, and all of it is weaved into the story in a way where you almost don't even notice. I do wonder though, how this novel reads for someone who is not Scandinavian, as I imagine some of the references and nuances are lost on people who do not live here.
I really loved reading this, it was so enjoyable, and while it's exciting and engrossing, it also discusses wealth, drugs, sex, death and what it's like to be young. I'd highly recommend it to everyone, but perhaps especially people who come from and live in this particular part of the world.
You can read more about it on Goodreads
