New Swedish Books, Spring 2018 1
65 Spring 2018 Karl Modig (b. 1994) Death is not
a Joke Publisher Gilla böcker www.gillabocker.se Rights Lilla Pirat linda@lillapiratforlaget.se Works Superkrafter – på gott och ont Chapter Book 2016 Death is not a Joke Josef wants to live a carefree existence and become a standup comedian, but when his big brother commits suicide he’s catapulted onto a rollercoaster of grief. In Death is not a Joke Karl Modig’s grasp of the Young Adult book as a genre is both firm and urgent. The heat is turned up to boiling point and finally Josef hasn’t got the strength to carry on his shoulders the responsibility of holding his broken family together anymore. He suppresses his grief by being constantly drunk and waking up in unfamiliar beds. His parents have completely lost their grip on reality, unable to either comfort or take responsibility. The description of how Josef bears the family’s grief, taking care of his little sister who has curled up into a foetal position and is refusing to eat, is moving. The balancing act between the repression of pain and the desire to live a reckless teenage life is striking. The contrast between the happy-go-lucky teenage years he might have expected and the suffering that life instead served up couldn’t be clearer. Karl Modig doesn’t offer any simple solutions but rather a very nuanced portrait of a boy. Photo: Ola Jacobsen