New Swedish Books, Autumn 2017 1
New Swedish Books 22 The Sumac Woods It’s springt
ime during the Vietnam War, schools and universities are in revolt, and young people are becoming emancipated in totally new ways. Kenneth Jansson is finishing secondary education at a school in Stockholm. There’s someone new sitting next to him in class, Dan Schoultz, a charismatic, eccentric guy, with an American background and international upbringing. They start hanging out and Kenneth meets Dan’s sister Hellen. The siblings live alone in a villa. The events occurring during that spring and summer will change their lives forever. Klas Östergren’s novel The Sumac Woods is a fascinating, exciting and mysterious story with plenty of twists and turns, about finding your identity, the passing of time, and Sweden during a time of great change. Melancholy is mixed with sharp observations of people and signifiers of the period. We observe the extent to which the intense experiences of love, politics and life events are imprinted onto the emotional lives of these young people. Klas Östergren (b. 1955) The Sumac Woods Publisher Natur & Kultur www.nok.se Rights Partners in Stories maria@partnersinstories.se Selected Works Orkanpartyt Novel 2007 Den sista cigaretten Novel 2009 Twist Novel 2014 Selected Literary Prizes Sydsvenska Dagbladets kulturpris 2001 Samfundet De Nios stora pris 2005 Sveriges Radios novellpris 2005