New Swedish Books, spring 2017 1
New Swedish Books 64 The Word Embroiderer Anna Ar
vidsson makes her debut with a supernatural thriller that has the reader on tenterhooks from the start. In a distant mill town lives a strange family, with a secret ability. The women in the family are bestowed with the power on their eighteenth birthday. They become ‘word embroiderers’, and can control people through their written word. But when the central character Alba reaches eighteen, and is expected to crack the entrance exam, it’s obvious something’s not right. Why has she no power? What’s blocking it? Piece by piece Alba has to put the jigsaw together and try and understand her tricky past. And it’s urgent. Because it seems like there’s someone out to stop her in her search. The contrasts in this story are exciting. Alba is torn between modern society, where young people use social media and discuss TVseries, with the slow, old-fashioned feel of the environment in which she grew up. The Word Embroiderer is a modern action thriller, a story about finding yourself, and a strange saga. All at the same time. Anna Arvidsson (b. 1978) The Word Embroiderer Publisher Rabén & Sjögren info@rabensjogren.se www.rabensjogren.se Rights Rabén & Sjögren agency asa.bergman@rabensjogren.se Anna Arvidsson lives in Stockholm and works as a Public Relations Officer. The Word Embroiderer is her first novel. Photo: Göran Segeholm