The Agency

A heat wave is striking Europe. Semolina Pritchard, the head of The Agency in London, flies to Paris to chase a casting commission. Her usually reliable secretary Lindsay Lawrence embarks upon a forbidden romance with one of the agency’s clients – and she too goes to Paris…

On one of the most fashionable addresses in London, extremely flamboyant Semolina Pritchard runs The Agency, representing some of Britain’s most beloved and up-coming actors. Lindsay Lawrence, a competent personal secretary with a diploma from the Business School, works here, as does the more frivolous assistant
Myrah Jones.

The novel takes place during five hot summer days and develops into a dark comedy of complications. Semolina dashes off to Paris in hope of convincing the successful young American director Sofie Sjapparov that The Agency should be entrusted with the task of casting her upcoming project: a major feature film about Marie-Antoinette and the French Revolution.

Meanwhile, one of the agency’s clients, actor Lloyd Khan, takes a fancy to Lindsay and tempts her to come with him to Paris. Lindsay is usually not the spontaneous kind, but this time she can’t resist the flirtatious attention the handsome Lloyd suddenly showers her with.

Longing for an adventure of her own, Myrah too, decides to take the train across to Paris. The capital of France will for a few days serve as venue for this comical drama – an entertaining, romantic and sharply observant description of our protagonists.

Press voices:

“A wider, fancier and more literary version of The Shameless/…/The Agency offers  a dreamlike, suggestive atmosphere. It takes place during a few feverishly hot summer days in Paris, where the acting agent Semolina Pritchard and her two assistants have travelled, unbeknownst of each other./…/Most powerful is the illustration of the poorly written social roles available to women in this world. Myrah and Lindsay are young, men define their existence without them actually really understanding it yet. One of them sacrifices a good job opportunity for a model casting, the other is caught in a game between the two brothers. The recognition is painful, Lindblom’s perspectiv forgiving.”
/Malin Krutmeijer, Aftonbladet

“Lindblom switches point of view, allows the characters to each take a trip to Paris on separate but equally egotistical business. In a stylish and luxurious setting lack of boundaries, unfaithfulness, emotional games and tremendous narcissism are all a part of the plot. But you will also find an important side story about sanctuary, vulnerability and Europe’s immigration policy. Lindblom skillfully weaves in the topics of today into the personal drama./…/ An impressive novel.”
/Elin Grelsson, Göteborgs-Posten

“An absurd and terrifically skillful illustration of our time’s introspection/…/a novel about our time’s narcissism and introspection. About people who every moment know exactly how they look when they pull their hand through their hair, and who recreate themselves with the help of select details from their past, all of this flavored with just the right amount of fiction. Lindblom depicts, with a sharp eye, a time where you at all cost must be original, chosen, special. And no setting is better than the theater- and film world which Lindblom, who is also a director, knows so well.”
/Åsa Beckman, DN

“In addition to the characters’ wanting, getting and losing different things – they market themselves, they smile, they pose, the grovel or confess – there is also “now”, or rather a few days in July, 2006. It is right after the subway terrorist event in London, which has consequences for both Lloyd and his brother, who are of Pakistani descent, and for the paperless little boy that the latter takes care of for presumably altruistic reasons. A not unimportant string of political discussions and complications - racism, Islamophobia, global class divides - would all add the unbelievably cool rom com movie The Agency could become.”
/Nina Lekander, Expressen.

Praise for Sisela Lindblom’s De skamlösa / The Shameless:
“One of the most disturbing books I have read in a long time. And one of the most interesting /.../ if she reminds me of any author it is Michel Houellebecq /.../ it is the same pleasure-filled emptiness they describe.” Kulturnyheterna, Swedish TV

“Sisela Lindblom punctures the shiny surface in a superb manner. This is devilishly refined, effective and nasty.” Gotlands Tidningar

“an artfully infernal and stylistically accomplished story /.../ Very talented.” Aftonbladet

”Simply excellent.” Östersunds Posten