Hating Gustavsberg
Hating Gustavsberg
Agnes LindströmMirre lives in Gustavsberg and she sees it as being a form of punishment. Nothing ever happens here. No conflicts. No surprises. Until Mirre comes out of the closet – to the surprise of herself and her family. Agnes Lindstrom’s first novel is a refreshingly shrewd account of growing up.
Every day is pretty much the same: meeting up with Liv by the steps, going to school, hoping for good vegetarian food for lunch. But Mirre wants more. She wants to feel a-l-i-v-e. Graffiti. Parties. Anything. But then something unexpected happens at a family party. When her uncle unreflectingly airs his prejudices of ”Arabs” and homosexuals, Mirre snaps and anounces that she’s gay. Her closest family members and friends are rather sceptical over this sudden exit from the closet but when someone writes the words ”lezzy” on her locker she is over the moon that suddenly there’s a reaction. Something is happening!
And it really is. Mirre summons up the courage and starts dating Sanna with the blue hair, who also stands in the queue for vegetarian food at lunchtime. And finally she gets to talk about politics and gender roles. But then Mirre gets drunk and snogs a boy at a party and everything falls apart.
