CLOUDBERRY MIRE (HJORTRONMYREN)

A wuthering love story set in the magnificent forests of Sweden, that lifts forgotten female heroes and climate issues spanning over generations.

Cloudberry Mire unfolds in two parallel timelines, following the young girl Siv, who works as a female cook in a forest cabin in northern Sweden in the late 1930s, and her granddaughter Eva, who works for a logging company in the present day.

In 1938, Siv is sent by her family to work as a cook in a forest cabin in northern Sweden. Deep in the forest, in severe cold, she must wash the dishes, fetch firewood and water, keep the cabin warm and clean and put food on the table for ten men. It becomes a transformative experience where both liberation and the love of her life await.

In 2022 Eva is sent to the small community Djupsele in northern Sweden by her employer to quell wild protests against deforestation. As tensions escalate, she must confront the media, environmental activists, and the Sami village, but in the wake of the conflict, she also finds clues to her own family history.

Cloudberry Mire marks the beginning of a series of novels where women take center stage in the narrative of the magnificent Swedish forest and the conflicts surrounding it. The second part, Pale Soil unfolds in the late 1940s, and the third, Heartwood in the late 1950s.

Rights

Denmark: Alpha
Finland: Otava
France: Buchet Chastel
Germany: Gutkind
Italy: Corbaccio
Netherlands: Uitgeverij Mozaïek
Norway: Aschehoug
Sweden: Romanus & Selling

REVIEWS

“I enjoy the story’s many nuanced character portraits – and I am impressed that the novelist does not shy away from depicting female erotic desire. Then. Now.”
Västerbottens-Kuriren / SWE

“It is interesting to read the chapters about Siv that offers a credible and sensitive portrayal of a completely different era with limited freedom for women. The subject of media-trained forestry companies and upset environmental activists also feels very relevant. […] a delicate love story that manages to provide an impressively wide range of perspectives on the Swedish forestry debate.”
Upsala Nya Tidning / SWE

“The portraits are beautiful, deep, and empathetic, and the characters effectively convey the reasoning and worldview of the different generations and groups: what constitutes a time, an era. […] The question of who has the right to the land is not only a burning issue in the Middle East but also in northern Sweden, and the book, along with the upcoming parts of the series, is, of course, particularly relevant for us living here in the north. Where the forest, with all its resources and conflicts, represents the past, the present, and the future.”
Sundsvalls Tidning / SWE

“In Cloudberry Mire the author Ulrika Lagerlöf weaves a tapestry that conveys the entire 20th-century forest history and what lies behind today’s highly polarized debate about the forest. […] It is not only the writer of these lines who has noted the kinship with Kerstin Ekman, especially her acclaimed The Wolf Run. Like Ekman, Ulrika Lagerlöf also has the ability to convey messages that deeply resonate within the reader.”
Tidender / SWE

“In this novel, Ulrika Lagerlöf beautifully intertwines the past and the present in a story about finding one’s way home – both figuratively and literally.”
PRO / SWE

“Cloudberry Mire is a breathtaking reading experience with the forest and women at the center. […] A book to devour in one sitting and keep thinking about afterward.”
i_min_bokhylla / SWE

“I am touched by both the present and the past in this book, where characters and settings stay in your heart for a long time.” 5/5 rating
bokstavligttalat / SWE

“Wow, what a fantastic story. […] You can feel the longing, freedom, and love through the pages.”
Systrarnaboktokiga / SWE

“This gem is going on my list of books I believe could be nominated for ‘Book of the Year 2025’.”
lindas_bokhylla / SWE

“Ulrika brings a story to life so vividly that you can’t put the book down. […] The two narratives are incredibly fascinating to follow. How Ulrika describes and portrays emotions, relationships, and makes it all so vibrant. Ulrika has a fantastic way with words, and the pages truly fly by.”
Lollos bokhörna / SWE

“This story completely fascinated me. […] The author has crafted a fantastic novel, and I am glad this is the first part of the series. Because I want to read much more of this.”
Boktokig / SWE