New Swedish Books, Autumn 2018 1
New Swedish Books 52 The Aunts It’s boring coming
along to Björn’s mum’s party. The little sisters don’t say much. They can’t speak yet. And on top of it all Björn’s mum is their granny. To an older sibling who can take care of herself, ride a bike, and maybe even do the shopping, it’s almost as if she was invisible. There aren’t even any books, just one about three old ladies and an uncle. But then Björn’s sisters arrive with a request: couldn’t they be her aunties, for real? Ebba Forslind makes her debut with a warm and identifiable story of existing at the same time, so to speak, as everything else that goes on in a family. Using subtle changes in scale and perspective, and a careful control over who’s looking at whom, a space is created where seeing and the importance of being seen is in focus. It’s a practical moral code that is transferred onto the reader through the book’s gentle steering of the sensory faculties. Ebba Forslind (b. 1984) The Aunts Publisher Urax www.urax.com Rights Koja Agency Catharina Lantz catharina.lantz@kojaagency.com Works Jättejättebråttom 2017 Photo: Noak Lönn