Benny and Shrimp

This book begs the question, do opposites attract and if so, can it work? That seems to be the theme of this book. Or is it, do two lonely people who are completely opposite fall for each other just out of need?

Frankly, I loved this book. It was a fast read, passionate and left me wondering about Benny and Shrimp's relationship. I wasn't sure what I wanted from them. I wanted Benny to find a wife. I wanted Shrimp to be that wife. However, at the same, I didn't want Shrimp to be that wife. Contradictory, huh? On the other hand, I wanted Benny, the lovable farmer, to enjoy the culture that Shrimp wants to share but at the same time I wanted Shrimp to adapt to farm life. Sigh. Tis love, I guess.

Sometimes books that were popular in their show more native language, doesn't translate well into English but that doesn't seem to be an issue here. From Swedish to English, the point, the prose and the love came across. Give this a chance, I am disappointed I didn't sooner. This is definitely one I will read again. show less

Benny and Desiree find themselves occupying the same cemetery bench during their weekly visits to commune with their dead. They do not like each other to start, eyeing the graves of each others' family with distaste. Desiree ("Shrimp") has chosen an unadorned, stark stone for her young husband and leaves no plants or flowers on his grave. Benny's mother has chosen an elaborate carved stone for his father and is now beneath the overwrought stone herself. Benny diligently plants and tends their graves, overloading it with tokens. But the librarian and the dairy farmer have more differences than just the headstones that transfix them and it is only as they shyly get to know each other and start a relationship that these more substantial show more differences come to light.

If this makes this book sound like a romance, it should, but not one of the sweaty clinch variety. This is an understated and delicate look at the burgeoning love between two people so diametrically opposite each other. And yet at the start their shared passion seems able to overcome so much. It is only with familiarity that the stress fractures grow. Mazetti has drawn an entirely plausible and charming story of a relationship here. Her characters are completely appealing and I felt an immediate pull into their lives. The over-arching sadness that wrapped each of them individually, seemingly cocooning them from the small joys in life, lifts slowly but perceptibly as they allow love and solicitude into their lives in the person of each other.

And while I thought that the about face of the ending was a bit abrupt, I turned the last page wanting desperately to be able to go on to the sequel that is available in Mazetti's native Sweden. Others have used the descriptors charming and delightful and lovely when describing this slight book and I concur wholeheartedly. There is a very light touch here, even when acknowledging the difficulties that love can present and sometimes cannot overcome. Putting the book down was never an option and I finished it in one sitting. Now I feel like I should go back to it and savor the sweetness, the clumsiness of Benny, the cautiousness of Shrimp, and the whole arc of the enchanting story. In case you hadn't yet guessed, I loved this book and feel I'm on a misson to share it with everyone. show less

Désirée se rend régulièrement sur la tombe de son mari, qui a eu le mauvais goût de mourir trop jeune. Bibliothécaire et citadine, elle vit dans un appartement tout blanc, très tendance, rempli de livres. Au cimetière, elle croise souvent le mec de la tombe d'à côté, dont l'apparence l'agace autant que le tape-à-l'œil de la stèle qu'il fleurit assidûment.
Depuis le décès de sa mère, Benny vit seul à la ferme familiale avec ses vingt-quatre vaches laitières. Il s'en sort comme il peut, avec son bon sens paysan et une sacrée dose d'autodérision. Chaque fois qu'il la rencontre, il est exaspéré par sa voisine de cimetière, son bonnet de feutre et son petit carnet de poésie.
Un jour pourtant, un sourire éclate show more simultanément sur leurs lèvres et ils en restent tous deux éblouis...
C'est le début d'une passion dévorante. C'est avec un romantisme ébouriffant et un humour décapant que ce roman d'amour tendre et débridé pose la très sérieuse question du choc des cultures. show less

This Swedish book in translation has been wildly popular in Sweden. The Times of London calls it "a charming and funny Swedish love story, about two lonely people on the brink of middle age." The description is not far from the mark.

Thirty-four year old Desiree Wallin ("Shrimp") is a childless widow whose husband was hit by a truck two years prior. With Orjan, her husband of five years, there was rarely any arguing, but rarely any passion either. Desiree comes to the cemetery every day mostly because she feels she should. But her biological clock is ticking, and what she really feels she needs is a child.

The grave next to Orjan’s is a garishly embellished affair overseen by a man of about her age whom Desiree calls “The Forest show more Owner” because of all the gardening he does at the gravesite. His actual name is Benny, he is thirty-six, and he calls himself “The Prize Loser of all Sweden.” With his parents gone, he is the only one to take care of the family dairy farm, and he has a difficult time of it. What he really needs is a woman to tend to the house.

Each of them is very lonely. Each tells his or her story in alternating chapters. Often they describe the same event, but from radically different perspectives.

Desiree is a bit of an academic snob and also a pessimist: “My own tendency is to think that a baby’s smile is just wind; a falling star is very likely a TV satellite crashing out of orbit; birdsong is full of territorial threats; and Jesus probably never existed, at least not then and not there.”

Benny, a kind-hearted soul who never had a chance to do anything but work on the farm, is caught in a time warp from when his Mum was alive. He admits: “I’ve got no business being in the twentieth century, at least, not this end of it. And that applies to my image as well as to my way of thinking.”

These two unlikely soulmates fall wildly in love, or at least, in lust, and begin a relationship. Benny calls Desiree “Shrimp.” He explains, “Desiree – I have trouble with that name. It sounds sharp, standoffish and hoity-toity, all those things I thought she was to begin with. I call her Shrimp. It fits her so well it’s almost cruel. Pale, curled around her soft parts, with her shell on the outside. And long feelers.”

The relationship, hot and heavy at first, quickly deteriorates as the two just can’t find anything in common except a deep physical attraction. And yet it is that attraction, unlike anything they are able to experience with anyone else, that keeps pulling them back together.

Evaluation: I liked the snappy observations by Desiree, and Benny’s capacity for devotion. I liked the format; the way the chapters not only alternated, but sometimes recapitulated the same events; the reader could thus clearly see how easily and often the characters misunderstood one another. As the book progressed, however, I liked Desiree less and less; compromise was not in her nature, and she tended to be self-centered and ungrateful. Benny, on the other hand, just took it all like a faithful dog, and kept coming back for a lick on the hand or pat on the head. The last chapter horrified me; my dislike for Desiree turned into resentment and loathing.

This doesn’t mean I didn’t like the book. Much of it is charming and fun, and I thought the character development was well-done for the most part. show less

I read Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti in two quick sittings. I really enjoyed Benny & Shrimp. It's a quirky story of love between a farmer (Benny) and a librarian (Shrimp). I liked that this didn't read like a cheesy romance novel, bodices did not rip, chests did not heave.Benny & Shrimp showcased a messy kind of love where mitigating factors such as different life styles got in the way. I thought that felt real, as people aren't perfect and in real life people don't give up everything for love. I also liked that this novel showed how much of a process love is. Again, people don't just snap their fingers, and boom, love. No, you get to know the person, there has to be chemistry, and THEN love happens.I liked how Shrimp didn't want show more to give up her life in order to fit with Benny's expectations of a perfect relationship (woman, barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen). Somehow that appeals to my inner feminist, as I wouldn't give up my career just to fulfill some man's ideal.I think this was definitely a worthy read. I actually really really want the sequel to hurry up and be translated so I know what happens. show less

Described as seriously addictive, I found myself completely charmed by Benny and Shrimp, a.k.a. Desiree, and can attest to its addictive nature. Each character was thoroughly enjoyable because of their quirks. As a fellow bibliophile and intellectual, I found myself drawn to Shrimp because of her tidiness and need for culture. But Benny, who is still struggling with life after the death of his mother, is someone with whom the reader automatically sympathizes. The longing and attraction between the two makes you really hope that they can work through their issues and successfully stay together in the end.

The fact that the book takes place in Sweden added to its charm. Life as a dairy farmer in Sweden, even though the book is set in show more modern times, still feels antiquated and nostalgic. The traditions and cultural differences do not detract from the overall story but rather enhance it. In fact, I found it interesting to see how different our culture is from that in Sweden.

However, as a thirty-three year-old woman, I do object to the term "middle aged" to describe the two characters. Shrimp is only thirty-five, and Benny turns thirty-seven. To me, this is not middle-aged. Call it denial, but it just seems too young to use that term.

In spite of the details of life in modern-day Sweden that I enjoyed (and the objectionable term "middle-aged" to describe the two characters), at its heart this book is about love - what is it, what it means to be in love, the sacrifices necessary to make it work, and so forth. I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking for an enchanting and quick read. Poignant, tumultuous, and charming - Benny & Shrimp take hold of the reader's heart and tug and tear at it, just as love tugs and tears at their own hearts, as they struggle to adjust their two very different lives to this thing called love.

Thank you to Caitlin Price of FSB Associates for the opportunity to read this ARC! show less

Suis-je fleur bleue? Peut-être, car voilà une histoire d'amour, avec en plus un titre qui fait peur, à la tournure un peu trop travaillée pour être honnête, et j'ai bien aimé.

et ensuite elle a souri comme une gamine en vacances.
À partir de cet instant, j'ai des trous de mémoire, mais je sais que plus rien n'était diffficile à gérer ni inquiétant.

On notera toutefois qu'à la différence d'autres livres à l'eau de rose, le ton est agréable, les personnages intelligents, pas trop caricaturaux. J'ai beaucoup aimé leurs attitudes si humaines, faites d'hésitations, de regrets, mais aussi de grands beaux élans, d'humour.

J'écoutais NRJ à fond sur un walkman, c'est parfait pour celui qui veut se lobotomiser sans séquelles

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persistantes.

J'ai beaucoup moins aimé la fin qui ouvre un peu trop à mon sens à la possibilité d'une suite, et, tiens, comme par hasard, justement il y a une suite. Pffff, j'aime pas ce genre de prise en otages. show less