New Swedish Books, autumn 2020 1
New Swedish Books 13 UGLY GIRLS Autumn 2020 Hanna
Jedvik’s choice Jasmine is the pretty girl with a mum who’s an influencer with a massive following on social media. Eleni is the smart, slightly quirky, one. And Tilde is the new girl for whom life becomes total chaos when somebody in her new school creates the anonymous Instagram account “Ugly Girls”. It is this trio that we in turn meet in Johanna Lindbäck, Lisa Bjärbo and Sara Ohlsson’s shared literary project Ugly Girls. When the account gets going terror spreads like wildfire through the school – no one wants their face to be published and no girl is safe. Not even the popular Jasmine. The hunt for the person behind the account begins. In Ugly Girls the tension is interweaved with topical issues, all from a clear gender perspective and with a starting point in similar real events. The story is approachable and close to the reality of young people today. Its strength is in just how believable it frequently is and in its potential for young people to identify with the book’s storyline and characters. There is much to think about and consider here, and the book finishes with a cleverly constructed ending. Ugly Girls is the first book in a planned trilogy. Johanna Lindbäck, Lisa Bjärbo and Sara Ohlsson Selected works Johanna Lindbäck: Karta för förälskade och andra vilsna 2017. Lisa Bjärbo: Inuti huvudet är jag kul 2018. Sara Ohlsson: Ingen normal står i regnet och sjunger 2016. Selected awards Lisa Bjärbo: Nils Holgersson-plaketten for Allt jag säger är sant 2013. Astrid Lindgren-priset 2018. Johanna Lindbäck: nominated to the Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize for Saker som aldrig händer 2011. YA novel, 288 p. Johanna Lindbäck, Lisa Bjärbo and Sara Ohlsson Publisher Gilla Böcker Rights Lilla Piratförlaget Linda Widman linda@lillapiratforlaget.se Photo: Petter Cohen Photo: Petter Cohen Photo: Stefan Tell