Taking Things On
Maria lives with her husband Anders and their two children in a two bedroom-flat in a mid-sized northern Swedish town. It is the 1970s, and Maria has cut down on her working hours to attend a distance course in art history. A chance at something greater, something just for her.
At home the demands and musts, real and imagined, press upon her. Anders wants a house and maybe another kid, but her coldness and absent-mindedness these days makes him hesitant. Fredrik is growing up quickly, distancing himself, staying out with friends or on his room. And Siri, still just a child, but with eyes that see, that understand more than Maria would like. The home that needs the constant attention and care; and the job where the hours are never enough; and the studies that never get done… The glass and the bottle and the pills that make it all easier.
Rapidly, Maria’s insecurity and self-destructive behavior become a downward spiral towards the inevitable nervous breakdown. She’s failing at life, and the thought of her failure makes her not even want to try anymore. But the family remains, calling her back to them.
Taking Things On is a powerful portrayal of how women’s conditions and modern social patterns don’t always go together, and how difficult it can be to fulfil the roles that have been given.
In 2016, Norstedts republishes this modern life drama (first published 2003) following the immense success of Kristina Sandberg’s Maj Trilogy and the insatiable demand from readers and booksellers across the land for more from Sandberg’s pen. Maj has become a literary phenomenon of national importance, and Kristina Sandberg is now one of the brightest shining stars of contemporary Swedish fiction.
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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About the book
Maria lives with her husband Anders and their two children in a two bedroom-flat in a mid-sized northern Swedish town. It is the 1970s, and Maria has cut down on her working hours to attend a distance course in art history. A chance at something greater, something just for her.
At home the demands and musts, real and imagined, press upon her. Anders wants a house and maybe another kid, but her coldness and absent-mindedness these days makes him hesitant. Fredrik is growing up quickly, distancing himself, staying out with friends or on his room. And Siri, still just a child, but with eyes that see, that understand more than Maria would like. The home that needs the constant attention and care; and the job where the hours are never enough; and the studies that never get done… The glass and the bottle and the pills that make it all easier.
Rapidly, Maria’s insecurity and self-destructive behavior become a downward spiral towards the inevitable nervous breakdown. She’s failing at life, and the thought of her failure makes her not even want to try anymore. But the family remains, calling her back to them.
Taking Things On is a powerful portrayal of how women’s conditions and modern social patterns don’t always go together, and how difficult it can be to fulfil the roles that have been given.
In 2016, Norstedts republishes this modern life drama (first published 2003) following the immense success of Kristina Sandberg’s Maj Trilogy and the insatiable demand from readers and booksellers across the land for more from Sandberg’s pen. Maj has become a literary phenomenon of national importance, and Kristina Sandberg is now one of the brightest shining stars of contemporary Swedish fiction.
