Högström‘s “Smultron place” Excavates Inherited shame and societal Instability
Stockholm – Jesper Högström’s new book,Smultron place,is a deeply personal and unsettling exploration of shame,familial legacy,and the broader anxieties of a generation impacted by economic upheaval. The work, reviewed in Dagens Nyheter, resonates with a contemporary audience grappling with precarity and inherited trauma, offering a poignant reflection on the lingering effects of the 1990s financial crisis and the subsequent neoliberal shift.
Högström’s narrative centers on a father’s downfall and the shame it bequeaths to his son, a burden that extends beyond individual experience to encompass the collective anxieties of a society undergoing rapid change. The book’s power lies in its ability to articulate the unspoken, the “enigmatic ‘that'” which haunts the family’s history and suggests a predetermined trajectory of instability. This exploration connects to wider cultural conversations, as seen in Karin Magnusson’s recent novel stockholm white, which similarly examines the anxieties and stereotypes of Swedish society.
The review highlights Högström’s own admission of past shame, a feeling he now recognizes as possibly eternal in its reproduction.He writes, “I was ashamed… Today I am ashamed that I was ashamed. Maybe it is indeed so shame; it can reproduce in all eternity.” This internal struggle forms the core of the book, alongside a haunting sense that the downfall was “already there from the beginning.”
Högström wrestles with the cyclical nature of this inherited burden, questioning the timing of his father’s struggles and fearing a similar fate. He reflects, “I lie awake sometimes And think… That’s now happening. I am si and so old now, it’s so old he was when it happened.”
Ultimately, the review concludes that Smultron place is a compelling and insightful work that will likely connect with a wide readership, offering a powerful meditation on personal and societal vulnerabilities.
Jesper Högström is an employee of Dagens Nyheter, and the book was reviewed by Petter Lindgren, writer and critic at Aftonbladet.
