Books Set in Sweden

Books Set in Sweden

This article relates to When the Cranes Fly South

In Lisa Ridzén's debut novel When the Cranes Fly South, main character Bo struggles with a lack of autonomy near the end of life as he passes his days at his home in northern Sweden. Readers interested in reading more stories that take place in the country need not look far to find some. Here are just a few other examples of popular contemporary literature set in Sweden.

The Room by Jonas Karlsson

The inspiration for the 2022 film Corner Office starring Jon Hamm, this work-based dark comedy by Jonas Karlsson focuses on an insufferable bureacrat named Björn who discovers a secret room at the government office where he works. BookBrowse reviewer Elena Spagnolie writes, "The Room has elements of Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho, Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club, Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper, and the television sitcom The Office all while maintaining a fresh and unique tone."

Wonderful Feels Like This by Sara Lövestam

This delightful novel tells the story of an unlikely friendship between high school jazz enthusiast Steffi and Alvar, who was a jazz musician in Stockholm during World War II. Reviewer Michelle Anya Anjirbag reflects, "For a non-Scandinavian...there is just enough culture shock, just enough difference in the ins and outs of daily life, that the reader's attention is drawn to how Steffi's experience is different, but also how some things, such as bullying, feeling isolated, dealing with people who don't understand you, and fearing pursuing dreams are the same for everyone, everywhere."

The Fly Trap by Fredrik Sjöberg (translated by Thomas Teal)

If asked who their favorite author-entomologist was, a reader could be forgiven for only being able to think of Vladimir Nabokov. In his memoir The Fly Trap, hoverfly expert Fredrik Sjöberg explores, among other subjects, his home of Runmarö, a small island east of Stockholm, where he has collected 202 of Sweden's 368 species of hoverflies. Poornima Apte writes, "Sjöberg's keen eye and effervescent tone are infectious, you can't help but be carried along by his boundless enthusiasm for nature's many wonders. In many ways this memoir reads...like summer trapped within the pages of a warm and nourishing book."

After She's Gone by Camilla Grebe (translated by Elizabeth Clark Wessel)

As reviewer Norah Piehl aptly puts it, "As with our ideas about the rest of a rapidly changing Europe, any preconceived notions Americans may have about Sweden being solely populated by tall, blonde, blue-eyed people with a penchant for white pine furniture and an aptitude for cross-country skiing are long overdue for revision." Touching on contemporary issues related to race, gender identity, and disability, After She's Gone paints a multifaceted picture of modern-day Sweden with its story of a detective who returns to her small hometown to work a cold case that soon takes some surprising turns.

In Every Mirror She's Black by Lola Akinmade Åkerström

Following three Black women living in Stockholm, In Every Mirror She's Black, which was a BookBrowse discussion pick in 2021, offers a slightly different perspective on anti-black racism in a white-centered society for those mostly familiar with this subject in a purely American context. In a reader review, BookBrowse member Janine S writes, "[Each character] experiences the harsh reality of racism but each defines the experience differently...The author has done a wonderful job in crafting this book. Her writing is magical and deep."

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

As First Impressions reader Susan P points out, When The Cranes Fly South has been compared to A Man Called Ove—"an accurate comparison, but there aren't as many chuckles here." Voted Best Debut by BookBrowse members in 2014, Backman's enduring book club favorite follows a cumudgeonly older man named Ove whose life is disrupted (but also reconstructed) by the arrival of new neighbors. "A Man Called Ove addresses serious universal themes of loss, loneliness, feelings of worthlessness, aging, ill health and isolation," says reviewer Linda Hitchcock, "It is an inspiring affirmation of love for life and acceptance of people for their essence and individual quirks."

Filed under Reading Lists

This article relates to When the Cranes Fly South. It first ran in the November 19, 2025 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.