
Jens, who is the secretary to the minister of foreign affairs in Stockholm, was waiting on a vita report from Britta. Both Laura and Jens’ lives collide when Laura’s old best friend from school, Britta, is found murdered. The novel follows two main protagonists: Laura Dahlgren and Jens Regnell.

Luckily, Cecilia Ekbäck sought to change that with The Historians, showing us that even for neutral Sweden this was one of their darkest eras. It was also made into a movie in 2023.ĭue to Sweden’s neutrality throughout WWII, there aren’t many – if any – Swedish books set during this time. If you love Backman’s Anxious People, try A Man Called Ove – one of the best books about friendship. Swedish novels like Anxious People serve as an interesting exploration of the human condition.Īll these characters together should really just act as a ticking time bomb of anxiety yet, this story is one of hope, positivity, and friendship. Not to mention this bank robber has just broken into the apartment and taken everyone hostage. Another man who no one knows anything about has locked himself in the bathroom.Īnd there’s an eighty-seven-year-old grandmother who has lived long enough to be unbothered by anything – even, for example, having to deal with a polite yet incompetent bank robber. One couple is about to have their first baby, but they can’t agree on anything. On the surface, the prospective buyers appear to be regular people, but deep down, many of them are harboring a deeply troubled dispositions. On New Year’s Eve, a real estate firm holds an open-house viewing of an upmarket apartment. So, what are the best books set in Sweden to read before you go? Which Swedish books will make you laugh, cry, and teach you more? Let’s get started. Yet, not only did we have the most invigorating conversation over a Swedish book that takes place in an apartment over the course of a day, but the characters touched our hearts for weeks to come. In fact, we read Anxious People by Fredrik Backman for in-person book club.

However, if you are traveling to Sweden via plane or your armchair, what are other worthy Swedish novels?īelow, find science fiction, WWII historical fiction, vampire novels, and thriller books about Sweden to transport you there.Īnd along with Stieg Larsson, meet even more Swedish authors including Fredrik Backman, Jonas Jonasson, Cecilia Ekbäck, and John Ajvide Lindqvist.

We all know about famous Swedish books like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Travel to Europe with the best books about Sweden and famous Swedish authors.
