Care for One’s Own
We have entered the 1940s. Tomas has quit drinking after receiving treatment by a psychoanalyst in Stockholm. Maj knows that she should be pleased that he has achieved this for her and Anita, but the threat of a relapse is constantly looming. And the war that shadows everything. Tomas is called up for military service, leaving Maj at home alone with the child and the anxiety. How a bomb could fall and wipe out everything. Anita is growing fast. The doctor says that Maj must immediately stop breastfeeding, now that she has a baby on the way. She knows this but still, what does the doctor know about the power to comfort.
And then Maj’s mother dies. Mamma Elin, who never even got to meet her granddaughter, because of the illness. She can’t cry, not even at the funeral; if she would let anything out she would break. And she must remain strong, always. Fight the overcoming dizziness.
While Tomas is away–on military service, at work, on business dinners and board meetings–Maj tends to the empire that is her home, and to the children, to playdates and parties. Peace brings a promise of future and abundance, and times are changing for women. For Maj whose ideal is the perfect housewife change isn’t always easy to understand. But inside a rebellious voice cries–lonely, uninhibited, demanding.
In this second part of the trilogy we follow Maj from the beginning of the 1940s into the 1950s. Through personal loss, moments of joy and harmony, through anxiety and worry. It is an intimate and genuine portray of a woman which lingers in the minds of the readers.
Kristina Sandberg, born 1971, is a psychologist and author. She grew up in Sundsvall in the north of Sweden and currently lives in Stockholm. She made her literary debut in 1997 and is regarded as one of the most important contemporary Swedish writers. In 2008, Kristina Sandberg was awarded the Norrland Literature Society Prize, a…
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Sold to: Denmark, Netherlands: Nieuw Amsterdam, Poland: PrószynskiWe have entered the 1940s. Tomas has quit drinking after receiving treatment by a psychoanalyst in Stockholm. Maj knows that she should be pleased that he has achieved this for her and Anita, but the threat of a relapse is constantly looming. And the war that shadows everything. Tomas is called up for military service, leaving Maj at home alone with the child and the anxiety. How a bomb could fall and wipe out everything. Anita is growing fast. The doctor says that Maj must immediately stop breastfeeding, now that she has a baby on the way. She knows this but still, what does the doctor know about the power to comfort.
And then Maj’s mother dies. Mamma Elin, who never even got to meet her granddaughter, because of the illness. She can’t cry, not even at the funeral; if she would let anything out she would break. And she must remain strong, always. Fight the overcoming dizziness.
While Tomas is away–on military service, at work, on business dinners and board meetings–Maj tends to the empire that is her home, and to the children, to playdates and parties. Peace brings a promise of future and abundance, and times are changing for women. For Maj whose ideal is the perfect housewife change isn’t always easy to understand. But inside a rebellious voice cries–lonely, uninhibited, demanding.
In this second part of the trilogy we follow Maj from the beginning of the 1940s into the 1950s. Through personal loss, moments of joy and harmony, through anxiety and worry. It is an intimate and genuine portray of a woman which lingers in the minds of the readers.
Reviews
Kristina Sandberg has really managed to write a dense continuation to the story of MayDagens Nyheter
