New Book: ‘Us Against Us’

Today marks the publication day of renowned journalist Emma Bouvin‘s warm and humorous Us Against Us. 

Hanna, Isabelle and Simon are cousins. Growing up, they spent endless summer days together at their grandparents Mirijam and Knut’s summer house on Tjurkö. It’s a place where the salty scent of sun-kissed cliffs and seaweed lingers in the air. Where the rhythmic sound of clinking glass bottles filled with lemonade is mixed with the adults’ laughter, lulling them into a slow summer beat. It’s a place where time stands still, a place that keeps the family together. Well, at least it used to. The three cousins are all grown up now, and life has led them down very different paths.

When Mirijam dies, the fate of the summer house falls into the hands of her three sons: Niklas, Kenneth and Tom. The brothers have since long drifted apart, and whatever bond remains is fragile at best. Mirijam’s last wish was simple: she wanted the summer house to stay in the family, hoping it might bring her three sons together again. When the next generation and their partners also get involved, the stakes become even higher. To the grandchildren, the house is not just a mere property; it symbolizes the safe haven that their grandmother provided during those long summer days, especially when their fathers failed to be present. It is, however, not only nostalgia that spurs the cousins; Hanna sees the house as her chance to get validation from her father; Isabelle is mostly concerned with how she can get rid of her aggravating brother-in-law; and Simon wants to sell the house to repay his secret debts. When the whole family gathers to decide the fate of the summer house, old conflicts flare up and a thousand competing desires collide.

Us Against Us is published by Norstedts, today July 25th.