Tea-Bag

I've long been a fan of Mankell's Wallander series, and I've enjoyed the other books I've read by him. The Shadow Girls was something special. There is something playful in the surreal world Mankell creates for Jesper Humlin. There are laugh out loud moments. And in amongst the surreal goings on, tempering the playfulness, is a serious message about immigration and the reasons people flee their countries, full of hope for a better life in Europe. It could have been preachy, but Mankell got the balance right. Really, really good.

A confusing and compelling read. I must admit that Jesper Humlin is a very irritating character and I know that is intentional but I did loose patience with him at times. Even though just about everyone in his life was difficult too. But the full story, the women in the shadows, was so gripping. It was a dark read but worth it.

Tea-bag har jätte bra personlighets skildringar, vilket gör att historien som redan är bra blir ännu bättre. Jag vill lära känna dessa personer, få veta hur de har levt och hur det kommer gå för de. Henning Mankell skriver med humör, bokens huvudkaraktär poeten Jesper Humlin är otursförföljd och det är med ett leende på läpparna som jag följer hans öde i boken.
En bok som fångade mig från första sidan.
Läs den ! Det är en vacker bok som berör.

Don't read this if you are looking for a Wallander mystery. This book deals with the lives and struggles of immigrants (refugees) from all over the world who leave terrible situations in their home country, hoping to reach somewhere they can call "home" and feel safe. It is so well written and presents so many quotable observations that I probably will re-read it just to let them resonate with me again. It is hard to read because of the appalling conditions the "shadow girls" survive, and because the Swedish poet whose writing workshops they attend is such a unsympathetic character. It's worth hanging in there, in my opinion.

A remarkable contrast develops when a self-absorbed Swedish poet meets three young migrant women, whose stories of struggle and exploitation are told in stark counterpoint to the pathetic emotional and financial relationships of the poet's normal life. I was totally annoyed by the poet, Humlin, but the girls' stories are compelling, emphasising the sense of disorientation engendered by such extreme experiences. And the structure of the novel is a bit odd, beginning with one of the girls, Tea-Bag, as the protagonist, but then shifting to Humlin for the rest of it, with the girls' stories provided in the context of bizarre writing seminars that Humlin gets involved in. So, yes, frustrating at times, but ultimately satisfying and show more thought-provoking. show less

"Writers writing about writing" is usually a kiss of death for me, but the beginning of this story was enjoyably comic: Jasper the poet, his idealism, his standards, his insecurities, and the running joke about everyone is now writng a crime novel. Wonderful, in every way, including the comic mother, and the love/hate relationship with the perfect Swedish girlfriend. Everything about the main character rings true in a Woody Allenish way.

And the rest of the story. Decent job capturing the beginnings of Jasper's travels into neighborhoods not like his own, and into the lives of people like he's never met. Also captured the ups/downs of trying to have helping relations with people who have been terrified, who are deeply scarred, and who show more are still flinching, jumping out of their skins at every shadow.

But to me he failed to capture the "shadow girls" themselves, these very real people -- they came off as caricatures, and the italicized stories were not effective. As a comparison, other authors who have done more memorable jobs of empathy building for traumatized immigrant characters: Isaac Bashevis Singer in Enemies A Love Story ; and Junot Diaz in Drown. There are others. Maybe its just that immigration and exile stories are more a part of my lexicon, my all American heritage, and that I have read from a greater treasure trove of stories from the people themselves, who have survived cruelty, crime, leaky boats, across rivers, deserts, and oceans, to lose their families, and to find the streets are not paved with gold. So, as an American I may have pretty high standards for this type of literature.

Nice try, author's heart is clearly in the right place, but misses the mark as storytelling. show less

A stand alone by Swedish author Henning Mankell. Know for his Wallender series, this book is an emotional tale of the very real plight of immigrants. The title is descriptive of those who arrive in Sweden, or elsewhere, without papers. Main characters are 3 young women with horrific tales to tell about there journeys to Sweden and their existences on the run from authorities. They want to tell their story and an uninspiring poet with many hang ups has been chosen as the one to help them. I kept thinking I was going to put this book aside. I am a huge fan of the Wallender books and this was not what I wanted to read.
But I kept reading...