TWO BOYS - ONE LIFE (TVÅ POJKAR)

Andreas was twelve when his best friend Henrik was killed in a car accident, the events of that day in 1987 have haunted him ever since. In this essayistic memoir the author weaves together the strands of his own life following the tragedy, exploring the unreliability of memory and the bewildering nature of grief, but equally, the enduring power of friendship and ultimately, survival.

In Two Boys – One Life, Swedish writer and lecturer Andreas Ekström returns to the summer when a tragic road accident split his life in two: he was the boy who lived, while Henrik would remain twelve forever. In the two years after the accident, Andreas stopped growing, his body seemed to register a shock his mind could not yet process. Ever since then, he has carried a quiet conviction that he must live enough for both of them.

Now, gravely ill and waiting for a liver transplant that may never come, Andreas finds himself once again suspended between life and death. Somehow, Henrik’s fatal accident and Andreas’ looming transplant have become intrinsically entwined in Andreas’ mind. As he prepares for the possibility of his own death, Andreas is determined to follow every thread of the accident; he combs through testimonies, police reports, and medical records. He does not have every detail, but to die without understanding feels unthinkable.

This is a deeply personal and intensely moving narrative in which Andreas weaves together the strands of his own life containing not only his own chronic illness and the deeply held friendship with Henrik, who never to go experience life beyond his twelfth year, but also explores the unreliable nature of memory, and the bewildering sense of grief which has followed Andreas ever since his best friend’s death.

Moving between the hospital room and the deserted road where everything changed, Ekström ultimately weaves a bigger narrative around illness, grief, memory, friendship, and the burden of survival. With stylistic precision and dark, disarming humour he asks, is memory enough to keep someone alive?

When the reader comes to the end of the book, they realise it is not an essay on grief or loss; it’s an elegy to life, and to enduring friendship.

With the emotional immediacy of The Bright Hour by Nina Riggs and as unflinching as Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking, Two Boys – One Life will leave no reader unaffected.

139 pages

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Sweden: Weyler

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REVIEWS

‘Andreas Ekström has written a brilliant book about the grief he felt after losing his best friend… The lucid prose and restrained language reminds me at times of the true masters of the genre, such as Joan Didion or Jenny Diski…’
Therese Eriksson, Sydsvenskan / SWE

‘The tone of the book is light, almost conversational. That is probably why it hits so hard. … Andreas Ekström succeeds as well as is possible in a harsh reality. He manages to bring Henrik back to life, if just for a moment.’
Martina Montelius, Göteborgs-Posten / SWE

‘Andreas Ekström begins his book on illness and grief like an inveterate professional. …[A]t its best,  Two Boys – One Life is an exemplary succinct account of the lower circles of hell of illness. And a harrowing, powerful portrayal of how chance affects human lives.’
Samuel Levander, Dagens Nyheter / SWE

‘It is a book whose incisive analysis conceals a great deal of unspoken pain. In that sense, it is a deeply personal and honest book.’
Dan Hallemar, Expressen / SWE

‘Andreas Ekström’s book Two Boys – One Life is, quite simply, a hopeful read. …who is the ideal reader for this book? [Those of ]us who are looking for literature that is something more than mere entertainment, autofiction navel-grazing or experimental prose written in the hope of winning prestigious prizes. We who know that literature can be so much more. Readers who dare to approach the despair expressed by Ekström’s grandfather: “If I could swap places with you, boy, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”’
Lotta Lundberg, Svenska Dagbladet / SWE

‘Ekström writes with a brisk, lively style using well-chosen details to recount both the accident and his own illness, in a direct and compelling manner. He tracks down witnesses and the doctor who tried to save Henrik. He also gives a moving account of the time following Henrik’s death; he has to keep himself alive while living the lives of two boys. Two Boys – One Life is a compelling story about death and survival.’ Rating: 4 out of 5
BTJ / SWE

‘Ekström has written a compelling book that patients and doctors will find very relatable. I enjoyed it.’
Jonas F Ludvigsson, Läkartidningen / SWE