Andromeda - by Therese Bohman (Paperback)

About the Book

"Working her way up at a storied Stockholm publisher, a young woman develops an ambiguous, shifting relationship with her boss, in this shrewd novel about the tension between tradition and modernity, and expectations and reality. The publishing house is anchored like a ship along Stockholm's main street, a large, bright building with an impressive rooftop terrace. The facade is a grid of wood and granite; flags with a cursive R sway in the wind. R as in Rydâens. A young woman starts as an intern at this venerated institution, and over many years gains more and more responsibility for its authors and books. All under the supervision of Gunnar, publishing director of the most prestigious imprint behind the finest literature, Andromeda. Over time their work relationship transforms into something neither of them can truly define. Perhaps built on mutual trust? Or is it something else?"--

Book Synopsis

Working her way up at a storied Stockholm publisher, a young woman develops an ambiguous, shifting relationship with her boss, in this shrewd novel about the tension between tradition and modernity, and expectations and reality.

The publishing house is anchored like a ship along Stockholm's main street, a large, bright building with an impressive rooftop terrace. The facade is a grid of wood and granite; flags with a cursive R sway in the wind. R as in Rydéns.

A young woman starts as an intern at this venerated institution, and over many years gains more and more responsibility for its authors and books. All under the supervision of Gunnar, publishing director of the most prestigious imprint behind the finest literature, Andromeda.

Over time their work relationship transforms into something neither of them can truly define. Perhaps built on mutual trust? Or is it something else?

Review Quotes

"The subtly gorgeous prose highlights the affection between two like-minded individuals, both of whom are trying to preserve what they value the most. This is perfect for devouring in a single afternoon." --Publishers Weekly

"A confident, erudite novel, comfortable with developing at its own pace...Deeply provocative in its quiet contemplation." --Kirkus Reviews

"A beautifully written book about a publishing company undergoing massive changes, a questionable and yet somehow aching relationship between an intern and her boss, nostalgia, the feeling of being left behind, and the ideals we cling to when everything is falling apart around us...a breath of fresh air in the literary world." --Booklist

"Andromeda has [encapsulated what bookmaking is about] in a way that no book has yet accomplished...Moved seamlessly from Swedish to English, [translator Marlaine] Delargy brings us into the world of Stockholm and walks us around by the hand as we let ourselves feel the nostalgia, the frustration, the confusion, and the loss between two souls bound by longing." --Chicago Review of Books

"Andromeda is the best kind of company--a book I kept longing to return to, full of ideas and emotion." --Julia May Jonas, author of Vladimir

"Elegant and captivating, Andromeda plumbs the depths of the tantalizingly ambiguous relationship between college-aged Sofie and her middle-aged boss, Gunnar. Both characters (understandably) deride the overused phrase 'balance of power, ' and yet the novel does indeed offer a fresh and provocative subversion of that familiar narrative--it was thrilling to watch their electric, profound connection unfold. As their worldviews intertwine, the novel delves into the ways literature shapes our lives, our desires and disappointments. I inhaled this book and will be thinking about it for a while." --Caitlin Barasch, author of A Novel Obsession

About the Author

Therese Bohman grew up outside of Norrköping and now lives in Stockholm. Her debut novel, Drowned, received critical acclaim both in Sweden and internationally, and was selected as an Oprah Winfrey Summer Read. Her second novel, The Other Woman (Other Press, 2014), was short-listed for the Nordic Council Prize and Swedish Radio's Fiction Prize, while her third novel, Eventide (Other Press, 2016), was short-listed for Sweden's most prestigious literary award, the August Prize. Bohman is an arts journalist who regularly contributes to one of Sweden's largest newspapers, Expressen.

Marlaine Delargy studied Swedish and German at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and she taught German for almost twenty years. She has translated novels by many authors, including Kristina Ohlsson; Helene Tursten; John Ajvide Lindqvist; Therese Bohman; Theodor Kallifatides; Johan Theorin, with whom she won the Crime Writers' Association International Dagger in 2010; and Henning Mankell, with whom she won the Crime Writers' Association International Dagger in 2018. Marlaine has also translated nine books in Viveca Sten's Sandhamn Murders series and two books in her Åre Murders series.