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Book Club: In October we’re reading The Dying Game by Åsa Avdic

October is the month of all things creepy, so The Local Sweden's Book Club is going dystopian with this psychological thriller set in a world where the Soviet Union never fell.

Published: 1 October 2020 08:10 CEST

Book Club: In October we're reading The Dying Game by Åsa Avdic

This month's book takes us to the Stockholm archipelago in a dystopian future. File photo: Henrik Holmberg/TT

The year is 2037, and author Åsa Avdic transports us to the tiny island of Isola, where seven people are competing for a role in intelligence. Main character Anna Francis isn't one of them; she's been hired to stage her own death and observe how the others react.

But things quickly start spiralling. Anna spots a figure from her own past. A storm is rolling in. Things aren't quite what they seem. This is a book about what it takes to survive.

To join in with the Book Club, all you have to do is find a copy of The Dying Game and let us know what you think of the book. Throughout the month and beyond, we'll be discussing the book in our Facebook group, so here are a few questions to keep in mind:

Reviewers have said the novel has elements of Margaret Atwood, George Orwell, and Agatha Christie. Which parts reminded you of things you have read or watched before?
How did you feel while reading the book?
Were you more interested in the parts about Anna's life, or the parts about the dystopian society? Why?
Do you think the story tells us anything about the world and society we live in?
Which of the characters could you relate to, and in which moments?

If you'd like to share your thoughts on The Dying Game, ideas on what we should read next or other suggestions for the Book Club, join The Local Sweden's Book Club on Facebook, or send us an email.

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Book Club: In December, we're reading Good Sweden, Bad Sweden by Paul Rapacioli

Paul Rapacioli is co-founder of The Local and author of a book about Swedish values. Photo: Sofia Runarsdotter

Published in 2018, Good Sweden, Bad Sweden by Paul Rapacioli draws on his years of experience managing The Local in a world where fake news and polarised narratives pose a serious threat.

So what part does Sweden play in this?

For nearly three decades, values and social norms around the world have been measured by the World Values Survey, in which Sweden is an outlier: more secular and individualistic than any other country. In this way, it's extreme.

It is also a country that a lot of people have limited knowledge of: it has a relatively small population, a language few foreigners understand, and it's geographically fairly isolated.

This makes it easy for people to misrepresent Sweden, and present a one-sided picture to support their own views. Good Sweden or bad Sweden.

To join in with the Book Club, all you have to do is find a copy of Good Sweden, Bad Sweden and let us know what you think of the book.

If you have questions for Paul, send us an email and we will put some of your questions to him in a Book Club Q&A later this month.

Throughout the month and beyond, we'll be discussing the book in our Facebook group, so here are a few questions to keep in mind:

The book discusses several news stories and how they were portrayed around the world. Do you remember coming across any of these stories?
What adjectives and what values do you associate with Sweden? If you moved here from abroad or have visited regularly, has your impression changed?
Good Sweden, Bad Sweden was published in 2018. How has the situation changed since then?
Do you agree with Rapacioli's arguments, and why/why not?
If you read Factfulness earlier this year, do you see any parallels or contrasts between the arguments both books put forward?

If you'd like to share your thoughts on Good Sweden, Bad Sweden, ideas on what we should read next or other suggestions for the Book Club, join The Local Sweden's Book Club on Facebook, or send us an email. In Sweden, you can buy the ebook from Adlibris and the paperbook from Amazon, among other retailers.

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