Title: Jag Är Tyvärr Död Och Kan Inte Komma Till Skolan Idag (I'm Unfortunately Dead and Can't Come to School Today)
Author: Sara Ohlsson
Pages: 298
Published: Feb 21st 2012
Publisher: Gilla Böcker
Language: Swedish
The title of this book gave me the impression that this book would perhaps be about mental illness or issues and taboo subjects that have become a popular category in YA contemporaries. However, this was misleading. The book was simply: boy breaks up with girl, girl is sad, girl tries to get him back with jealousy, she starts sleeping with several other people and when he finally asks for her back she's moved on. It was not a fluffy YA romance either. I constantly felt that Olivia just felt sorry for herself and then made loads of mistakes that she later regretted. I did not however feel sorry for her, call me unsympathetic. I completely understood her situation, and I didn't have an issue with how she was dealing with it either. I understood that she was hurt and I don't blame her. But I felt like there was far too much self-puttying and I grew tired of it.
I like when characters that are meant to be good make mistakes that hurt other people because it shows that they are human. It makes it easier to bond with them. But Olivia, I grew angry with. I think in all her self pity she didn't consider other people's feeling at all and I got sick of her. I felt like this pattern was repeated over and over again throughout the book and it wasn't leading anywhere until suddenly on the last page she decided that she was fine with being single. The structure just didn't make sense.
I didn't get a lot of feeling for her friends or the boys she was together with. Whether that was intentional or not I don't know but her friendships with girls were vague and no focus was put on it at all.
The one thing I really did like was Olivia's friend Thor who threw in funny comments, despite his annoyance at lack of sex and snogging. I was very satisfied that the two of them didn't get together as it would have ruined the respect I had for that relationship. However, I don't think he was given enough pages and so much more could've been gained from his character. He had such potential.
Altogether I did enjoy a light Swedish read, but I didn't feel like I gained anything from it.
Plot Summary:
I realise that I have been lying naked, and close to him, warm and drowsily happy. And while I had giggled by his tickling breath, he's been thinking that he no longer wants to.
Olivia is dumped. John no longer wants to be together and and she doesn't understand how she is possibly going to survive alone. Who is she without John, without the perfect relationship? Is she really one of those who only kisses the one she loves? Or is it as easy as Danijel says that you should laugh when you're happy, scream when you're angry and sleep together when you're horny?
My Rating:
4/10
Other Books by Sara Ohlsson:
Ingen Normal Står i Regnet och Sjunger (No One Normal Stands In The Rain and Sings)
Het (Hot)
Language: Swedish
The title of this book gave me the impression that this book would perhaps be about mental illness or issues and taboo subjects that have become a popular category in YA contemporaries. However, this was misleading. The book was simply: boy breaks up with girl, girl is sad, girl tries to get him back with jealousy, she starts sleeping with several other people and when he finally asks for her back she's moved on. It was not a fluffy YA romance either. I constantly felt that Olivia just felt sorry for herself and then made loads of mistakes that she later regretted. I did not however feel sorry for her, call me unsympathetic. I completely understood her situation, and I didn't have an issue with how she was dealing with it either. I understood that she was hurt and I don't blame her. But I felt like there was far too much self-puttying and I grew tired of it.
I like when characters that are meant to be good make mistakes that hurt other people because it shows that they are human. It makes it easier to bond with them. But Olivia, I grew angry with. I think in all her self pity she didn't consider other people's feeling at all and I got sick of her. I felt like this pattern was repeated over and over again throughout the book and it wasn't leading anywhere until suddenly on the last page she decided that she was fine with being single. The structure just didn't make sense.
I didn't get a lot of feeling for her friends or the boys she was together with. Whether that was intentional or not I don't know but her friendships with girls were vague and no focus was put on it at all.
The one thing I really did like was Olivia's friend Thor who threw in funny comments, despite his annoyance at lack of sex and snogging. I was very satisfied that the two of them didn't get together as it would have ruined the respect I had for that relationship. However, I don't think he was given enough pages and so much more could've been gained from his character. He had such potential.
Altogether I did enjoy a light Swedish read, but I didn't feel like I gained anything from it.
Plot Summary:
I realise that I have been lying naked, and close to him, warm and drowsily happy. And while I had giggled by his tickling breath, he's been thinking that he no longer wants to.
Olivia is dumped. John no longer wants to be together and and she doesn't understand how she is possibly going to survive alone. Who is she without John, without the perfect relationship? Is she really one of those who only kisses the one she loves? Or is it as easy as Danijel says that you should laugh when you're happy, scream when you're angry and sleep together when you're horny?
My Rating:
4/10
Other Books by Sara Ohlsson:
Ingen Normal Står i Regnet och Sjunger (No One Normal Stands In The Rain and Sings)
Het (Hot)
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