Normal life in a village is derailed when a colony of gulls takes over the local lake.
Author: Ulrika Hansson
Finnish original: Jaktlaget
Publisher: Schildts & Söderströms, 2020
Genre: literary fiction
Number of pages: 316 pp.
Reading material: Swedish original, English sample, English synopsis
Rights sold: Dutch, Stortebeeker
The hunting club is agitated. Thousands of gulls have flocked back to the lake again this year. No one can use its shores, nothing grows anymore, and the noise is unbearable. The gulls are protected – but should people really have to move aside for them?
Opinions are divided, and the community splits into different camps.
Meanwhile, the outwardly peaceful lives of two couples have become strained to the breaking point. Years of anxiety and fear have left Inger deeply unhappy in her marriage with Christer, who is widely respected in the village. Does she dare to break out anymore?
Bengt and Solveig, on the other hand, are involved in a secret conspiracy to exterminate the birds. As the two couple’s stories intertwine, it turns out that even small shifts in the old balance bring on inevitable changes.
Ulrika Hansson’s debut novel is a sharply observed portrayal not only of the relationship between people and nature, but also of the ties between people, how long they can endure and how they can slowly erode. Hansson captures both the sadness and the hope beneath the surface.
“Above all, this work is marked by a heartfelt love for the local community. In her debut novel, Ulrika Hansson has brilliantly depicted people who are deeply rooted in the place where they live.”
– National broadcasting company Svenska Yle
“Hansson skilfully describes the beauty and brutality in both conflict and love. She lets the characters make impossible decisions without spelling things out in every detail.”
– Runeberg Prize jury
About the author:
Ulrika Hansson