FATHERLAND (FÄDERNESLAND)

Step into the tapestry of FATHERLAND, Carl Åkerlund’s razor-sharp literary debut where myth and modernity entwine to portray themes of identity, nationhood and what it means to call somewhere home.

When war unexpectedly erupts in their homeland, a Swedish family’s walking holiday in the Pyrenees is cut abruptly short. Unable to return home, and torn from their country and culture, they have to face reality as unwanted refugees in Spain. There, they find themselves completely dependent on the kindness of strangers as the Swedish government falls. When a further personal tragedy befalls the family, their sense of family and safety are tested to their very limits.

In a separate timeline, the author takes the reader to the aftermath of the last battle fought on Swedish soil, in Västerbotten in the early 1800s when Sweden lost much of its landmass to Russia. Though peace has arrived, the forests of Houmfors keep their secrets; people fear what and who may lurk among the ancient trees. When Lovisa, the free-spirited daughter of a local family, meets Russian deserter Mihail in the depth of night and they fall in love, their clandestine relationship sets in motion events that may echo down the generations.

As the narrative weaves between the two eras, unexpected parallels emerge: primal fears meet modern sensibilities as the characters of both timelines grapple with issues of belonging, self-perception and safety, illuminating themes of identity and nationhood as well as the age-old juxtaposition of us and them. Blending pitch-perfect prose with traces of Nordic folklore and astute contemporary realism, FATHERLAND deftly portrays how history and myth shape our sense of self, making this a debut novel as urgent and relevant as it is timeless.

Rights

Sweden: Weyler

REVIEWS

“An earth-shattering debut… fascinating and melancholic…  [The book] succeeds because it gives the reader the opportunity to sink through the ages into a treasure trove of myths as it effortlessly tells its tale of how external crises can transform us… Carl Åkerlund’s portrait of a national self-image undergoing a reconstruction celebrates triumphs, and one will not soon forget the good samaritans Hanna and Jennifer… In short, FATHERLAND covers a lot of ground and explores many levels… [and it is] searingly beautiful as you feverishly turn the pages.”
Ulrika Milles, Dagens Nyheter / SWE

“Refreshing… This is a classic, first-rate portrayal of northern Sweden. Page-turning all the way to the eerie ending. The description of nature is meticulous… at the same time the text sometimes allows itself to descend into the mystical, into the mythical. The cast of characters is expansive… It also contains one of the most beautiful love scenes I have read in a long time.”
Anders Sjögren, Västerbottens-Kuriren / SWE

“[This] is undeniably a breathtaking setup for a novel. Åkerlund skilfully switches between the two planes of the story, and the parallels to our own time with its threats of war and waves of emigrants are truly frightening. There is an eerie tension in the portrayal of the Swedish family’s vulnerability when they become refugees. And when the family members, or those who remain, are taken in by volunteers on the Spanish Sunshine Coast, they are forced to realise exactly how humiliating it feels to beg for charitable handouts. The prose is fluid, at times archaic, with influences from both Sara Lidman and Kerstin Ekman, in the historical part, yet austere and more conversational in the contemporary.”
Ulrika Kärnborg, Expressen / SWE

“Like a literary archaeologist, Carl Åkerlund digs his way through the layers of time in his ambitious debut novel… The ending is magnificent. Åkerlund… has created an ending that will linger – and that’s certainly not bad for a debut novel.”
Torun Börzt, Borås Tidning / SWE

“This is really well done… an unusually rich and interesting novel. Åkerlund elegantly shows how quickly a normal family reminiscent of Ruben Östlund’s characters can be transformed into displaced refugees living a life of uncertainty. Well, you get what I mean. It’s an ambitious setup for a novel, but Åkerlund is a writer who clearly wants to achieve a lot… And since I’m a bit of a dramaturgy-nerd, I was of course thrilled when, partway through the novel, there’s a sudden unexpected plot twist that turns everything upside down. It’s really extraordinarily well done.”
Per Klingberg, Göteborgs-Posten / SWE

“War, history and nature descriptions, or the seeking of identity, could have made the novel dull. Instead, it is captivating, thanks to the many vibrantly portrayed characters, especially the women. They never languish in existential darkness… instead they must constantly maintain dignified selves. That is what really strikes a chord. The language becomes experimental, with a nature-oriented perspective that manages to describe thunderous desires through pine trees and mosses. The result is much more profound than one might have thought.”
Sara Ek, Sveriges Radio / SWE

FATHERLAND seems to want to delve deep, drilling through the millennia. To illuminate layers with traces of how people have migrated and mixed, before national borders existed. Who really is a ‘stranger’? …FATHERLAND lines up many poetically charged images. They are interspersed with high-voltage scenes that capture, for example, the uncomfortable atmosphere at a dinner table. Or, an execution in the interior of Västerbotten. It is abundantly clear that Carl Åkerlund is accustomed to writing drama. At times dazzling…
Fredrik Björkman, Arbetarbladet / SWE