In Anna and Mats’ flat, the boxes are all packed and ready to be moved to the new apartments. The divorce papers have just been signed. During a period of a couple of months, from the darkest days of mid winter to the blooming days of June, we get to ...
In Anna and Mats’ flat, the boxes are all packed and ready to be moved to the new apartments. The divorce papers have just been signed. During a period of a couple of months, from the darkest days of mid winter to the blooming days of June, we get to follow the first unsteady steps in their new, parallel lives in Stockholm. How will they be able to start afresh without each other?
Three years have passed since the holiday week on Sicily when the crisis struck Anna and Mats’ marriage. Despite all their attempts to patch up the relationsship, they have failed. And now the divorce papers have been signed. They have each got a flat of their own, and have agreed to share custody of the children.
But a sixteen-year-long relationship with two children is not something that can easily be left behind. It takes time to get adjusted to their new and independent lives. For Anna, the money situation is tough, and for Mats it is difficult to even comprehend how it all came to pass.
The children mean the world for both Anna and Mats, but they feel lost as parents without each other. And the children both see and understand far more than their parents realise.
During a couple of months we follow Anna and Mats’ emotional and distressing journeys towards new independent lives. Helena von Zweigbergk describes her protagonists with a realism that presses in on you, and infuses the reader with a deep understanding for Anna and Mats’ conflicting emotions.
Press voices for Anna and Mats Don't Live Here Anymore:
”A well-crafted situational novel, both perceptive and involving.”
Sydsvenskan
“The powerful saga of an estranged family.” “Where that edgy darkness is missing in the text, we are treated to an insightful view of the psychology of daily life - something which I very much appreciate… Tears aren’t always reliable, yet they can be a good measure of intrinsic value for a book reviewer.”
Dagens Nyheter
“The keenly embarrassing depictions of destructive arguments are still there, but we also get to witness Anna’s realization that, on occasions, she gets lost and bogged down in her own bitching. Martin for his part comes to understand that he won’t automatically find happiness in the arms of a new, young woman. Another bonus is the nuanced and respectful portraits of the two children, Molly and Sebbe.”
Tara
“Helena con Zweigbergk has always been a reliable informant from the the murky depths of the Swedish soul. I envy her well-equipped monitoring facility. The dialogues scintillate with authenticity. Mats and Anna’s painful adjustment to their new lives apart is heart-warming. Moreover, it’s rare to read in a Swedish
novel such believable and tender depictions of children as we get here of the couple’s children, Sebbe and Molly.”
Aftonbladet
Press voices for Ur vulkanens mun / From the Mouth of the Volcano:
”Ur vulkanens mun finds its path right into the dark heart of civilization, and at the same time right into the deepest shadows of Swedish everyday life. /.../ a masterly depiction of the female experience of discomfort.” Dagens Nyheter
”Helena von Zweigbergk /.../ creates real whirlwinds of anxiety.”
Kulturnytt P1, Swedish Radio
”This is an entertaining book which is not entertainment, a book that takes the hardships of family life seriously, and twists the knife in the heart of the middle-class.” Katrineholms-Kuriren