New Swedish Books, Autumn 2018 1
Spring 2018 Marta Söderberg (b. 1980) Thoughts Be
tween Sweet and Salty Publisher Lilla Pirat www.lillapiratforlaget.se Rights Lilla Piratförlaget Linda Widman linda@lillapiratforlaget.se Selected Works Athena 2016 Ramona 2015 Sista chansen 2009 MARTA SÖDERBERG Thoughts Between Sweet and Salty In many ways the main character Moa is your typical narrator. She’s clever, well-read, knows her pop-culture references, and is funny and full of wit. She puts on an act of hating school, despite clearly being a good student, and she makes sharp-witted observations about her fellow classmates and the complex social structure of school. And the new student in class, the cool Ana, who smokes, is mysterious, and immediately takes Moa’s side against the snobby mean girls, also seem familiar. Gradually, however, a feeling creeps in that there’s something not quite right with the picture being painted here. The conflicts are not as simple as they seemed. A real trauma has occurred during the summer. Moa is being isolated and bullied. The snobby mean girls attack her in the toilets. Despite hints and clues the reader is caught off guard, and can only blame themselves for not realising the full extent of the bullying. Just like in real life. Photo: Ola Kjelbye