New Swedish Books, Spring 2018 1
67 Spring 2018 Staffan Cederborg (b. 1962) Brain
Melt Publisher Opal www.opal.se Rights Opal anja@opal.se Selected Works Det här är ingen film med lyckligt slut YA 2013 Hjärnpunka Chapter Book 2015 Blodvittring YA 2016 Brain Melt “Cheesus! Fifty light years from being cool”. That’s what Leo in Brain Melt thinks of himself and his teenage body consisting of a face full of spots, a mop of greasy hair, and only a few silly, downy hairs above his lip. Leo is going out with Lolo and they’re going on holiday together to Sardinia. For that purpose they’re collecting travel money. As Mum is helping Leo to try on clothes he freaks out in the changing room and forgets that he’s still wearing the garment he tried on. This is the beginning of a blackmail plot, because the bad boy Ozzy and his gang filmed what happened when the anti-theft tags went off. The downward spiral of crimes that the gang forces Leo to commit is both hilariously and entertainingly described from a first person perspective. Putting a nail in the tyre of the headmaster’s car or opening a can of ’Surströmming‘ – putrid fermented fish – in the school corridor is only the beginning. And his loyalty to Lolo is tested as Leo pilfers their travel money. Cederborg’s soaring language is contagiously captivating and the hilarious moments are breezily quirky. He allows Leo to make a fool of himself, and get into increasingly strange situations, guaranteeing fast-paced entertainment and quick-fire dialogue. Photo: Bengt-Erik Engholm