Author: Axel Åhman
Swedish original: Klein
Publisher: Schildts & Söderströms, 2020
Genre: short stories
Number of pages: 176 pp.
Reading material: Swedish original, English synopsis, English sample
Heaven is sitting in a hot room full of naked men whipping themselves with a birch branch.
Growing up is hard. Growing into a real man under the watchful eyes of the community in the Finnish countryside is even harder. It’s wanting to help your father around and ending up with a toolbox on your foot and a bruised ego; it’s trying to keep your first beer down no matter the taste; it’s ruling the local sauna with an iron fist even when your body is crying for mercy. Failing to meet the standard results in being labeled as “a weakling”, a title that throws one forever in the ranks of the weak and unreliable.
A Weakling is a collection of novellas about masculinity and growing pains, peppered with sharp humor and an eye for real-life details. The setting is the Ostrobothnia, deep in the Finnish countryside, and it follows the laws of small villages and communities everywhere: both the town eccentric and the bigwigs must get a chance to have their say, and ordinary interactions often take an unexpected turn, opening the door for bizarre and hilarious yet believable outcomes. The social codes are laid bare and must be obeyed at any time: whether it’s at the gas station, on the ski slopes, or at home, a real man always knows how to behave. Or maybe not, but trying his best always makes for a good story.
“By writing warmly and thoughtfully about power, masculinity, and growing up, Åhman identifies the hot topics of our time (and the sauna).”
– Dagens Nyheter Newspaper
About the author
Axel Åhman