ME ON THE FLOOR, BLEEDING (HÄR LIGGER JAG OCH BLÖDER)

Promo video (in Swedish)

Jury motivation for the August Prize 2010:

“With accurate gallows humor Maja’s coquettish and undisguised alienation is believably described. An accidentally amputated thumb throws the reader on an odyssey in her search for her identity. A psychological portrait with particularly credibility in the expression.”

Maja would never hurt herself even though people think so. Why can’t a person cut off her fingertip without having people worrying about her? Everyone is worrying about Maja. Everyone except her mother. Maja on the other hand, worries about her mother. She is worried about the fact that her mother is missing.

At a party Maja meets Justin, a twenty year old very verbal, car mechanic with pink pants. In the company of Justin, Maja allows herself to forget both that her mother is missing and that her thumb hurts. But later, when she reads an e-mail that is not meant for her to see, it hurts even more. More than all the pain in the world.

Me on the Floor, Bleeding is a page turner that makes you laugh and cry.

256 pages

Rights

Denmark: ABC Forlag
The Faroe Islands: Bókadeildin Føroya Læraraferlags
Finland: Karisto
France: Editions Thierry Magnier
Germany: Carl Hanser Verlag
Japan: Iwanami Shotens
Norway: Aschehoug
Russia: Albus Corvus
Slovenia: MIŠ založba
Sweden: Gilla böcker

BLURB

“I love it. So MADLY funny and ridiculously sad at the same time – and here I lie and cry.”
Lisa Bjärbo, author / SWE

REVIEWS

“If you only read one more book this year, this should be the one. It will take a while to recover from, and is definitely one you’ll never forget.”
portlandbookreview.com / US

“Good Scandinavian YA novels are by no means unusual – Nordic youngsters are simply spoiled with quality literature. But Jägerfeld’s second book is the best I have read since 2007, and I’m glad it’s five years between the big hotshots. Because they are books which it is emotionally exhausting to read. Jägerfeld leaves her readers with aching tear ducts and upset feelings; one can hardly fail to be touched. The main character, Maja chooses extreme solutions and laughter rather than tears, and Jägerfeld is a master at balancing between despair and brave irony.”
Bergens Tidene / NO

“This is very different from anything I have read recently, and I must say it was a real energy boost to end up in the middle of Maja’s absurd existence. Jenny Jägerfeld portrays with humor and warmth of serious things that concern. No lumps in the stomach at all. In contrast, this is a mildly heartwarming and very thought-provoking book.”
tonarsboken.blogspot.com / SWE

“This novel goes right to the heart. Not only because the language reveals an experience, but also, and maybe mostly, because it gives a hint about an experience beyond the language’s given forms. A life.”
Svenska Dagbladet / SWE

“A page turner that leaves you with longin. A crazy mixure of comic, grief and love. Written with a lively and contemporary language.”
Värmlands folkblad / SWE

“The language is as quick as Maja’s own thoughts with a touch of haiku, personal ads and lyrics that in a clever way avoids the writers voice to be louder than Maja’s.”
Aftonbladet / SWE

“Me on the Floor, Bleeding is an original mix of love story, splatter, farce, poetry and psychological thriller. An unusual page turner which I miss as soon as I get to the redemptive last page.”
Expressen / SWE

“Jenny Jägerfeld’s August Prize nominated novel about Maja who happens to cut her fingertip off is a reading experience filled with sharp humor and darkest seriousness.”
Göteborgsposten / SWE

“Unusually well written and funny.”
Östersundsposten / SWE

”There are one-liners and quick expressions that catch on. This, in combination with the unusual and thrilling plot, makes the book a reading experience beyond anything else.”
BTJ / SWE

“To read Me on the Floor, Bleeding is like listening to a bursting teenage heart just before it erupts. At first, I enjoy the linguistic punches, then I am hit by the emotional power. This is nothing less than an infernishly well written young adult book with a topic that really, really touches.”
bokfreak.se / SWE

“… a perfect example of a crossover-book. Ie it suits super well for both young and adults. Take that as a call! It is a super nice and sad and funny story.”
Bokhora / SWE