Emma Karinsdotter

Jonna is working as a tour manager, and living in a safe little love story with her girlfriend Elin. But her past is turbulent and broken – her passionate affair with drummer Niki from the American punk band drove her into chaos, self harm and psychosis. Elin knows nothing of this, but as news surface that the band is reuniting for a new album and a new European tour, Jonna feels the pull, and the thin varnish of calm and normality cracking. It isn’t long before the magpies start talking to her again.

Karinsdotter (who, it should be pointed out, is a good friend of mine) moves back and forth in time, and switches styles from a more sober present, to a feverish, lyrical past. There’s much to say for the subte way the relationship between Jonna and Elin is handled, the warmth, the unspoken questions and Elin’s concern which comes across as both moving and naive. Also, Karinsdotter has been working as a tour manager, and it shows. The "rock stars on tour" trope has a very rare, true ring to it here.

But it is in the way she lets language dance and mutate and break in her descriptions of the past she has her real strengh – letting imagery become reality so that a hotel room really becomes a circus ring, throwing syntax around and setting up new rules for punctuation. And when Jonna goes into psychosis, it’s actually really scary. This is not for everyone. If the title (”And the heavens will fall the heavens will fall the heavens will fall when you touch me” in direct translation.) puts you off, the book will too. But this is a debut both creepy and beautiful.… (meer)