Sandra Gustafsson
Thriller novelist based in Stockholm, Sweden.
Author of Seared, The Rival and Skinless.
“Years went by, but all they knew was that he was Liam, unlike all the others. A little boy named Liam, himself and no one else. Nothing else was clear. Alice wished she could gather him up in her arms and hide him forever from all the fear and horror.”
Alice and Jonathan have a child, Liam, but Alice’s son brings her no joy. Something is very wrong. When Liam is eventually found to be seriously ill, the diagnosis tears the family apart. Alice is convinced she knows how to help her son, but Jonathan trusts the health care system and is determined to follow medical advice. Finally, the only thing that binds the two of them is Liam himself, and the struggle to save him overwhelms them both. Nothing else matters, and their lives will never be the same.
Skinless is a powerful, unsparing and demanding story about a reality that touches the lives of many families.
Music: Piano textures 1 III, Bruno Filippo
Starring: Jonathan Jensen
Photo: Eva Q Månsson
Cut: Daniel Burman
Production: Roadside Picnic 2016
Stock footage från Pond5:
rabbitcorporation
freeonestock
Gorodenkoff
Skinless is available as Kindle edition 99c.
sandragustafsson.se
twitter.com/sandragssons
instagram.com/sandragssons
facebook.com/SandraGustafsson.writer/
All work
Sometimes I think reading days would be good. Or reading hours.
I miss reading.
I work a lot nowadays, not so much writing on my next novel; I work with other authors manuscripts. Editing and stuff.
1
Free kindle
Alice and Jonathan have a child, Liam, but Alice’s son brings her no joy. Something is very wrong. When Liam is eventually found to be seriously ill, the diagnosis tears the family apart. Alice is convinced she knows how to help her son, but Jonathan trusts the health care system and is determined to follow medical advice. Finally the only thing that binds the two of them is Liam himself, and the struggle to save him overwhelms them both. Nothing else matters, and their lives will never be the same.
Skinless is a powerful, unsparing and demanding story about a reality that touches the lives of many families.
The book is free 04/02/16 - 04/03/16.
Editorial Reviews
"This hair-raising and horrible account of developing madness and a mother's wild desperation at her son's illness is deeply moving. The unsparing substance and precision of the language shows us the author knows this territory well. This is her third novel describing mental illness and social exclusion."
-- Lena Condelius, BTJ magazine, edition 21, 2015
"Undertaking the composition of a novel like Skinless certainly means yielding to the powerful temptation to immerse oneself into the miseries of others in order to analyze them. Sandra Gustafson knows exactly what she's doing. She opens herself wide to us, in my opinion, much like an actor identifying entirely with a role. It's a completely convincing achievement."
-- Anna-Charlotte Östman, Literature magazine
"Really forceful, gripping and harrowing!"
Book of the Month for August, 2015.
-- Jennie's Book List.
Honorable Mentions
The Rival is listed under "Honorable Mentions" in the genre Fiction in the "3rd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published e-Book Awards Winners"!
Here you can find the book: http://www.amazon.com/Sandra-Gustafsson/e/B00M85BIR4
Link to Writers Digest: http://bit.ly/1omkgM7
Elena Ferrante
"A modern masterpiece from one of Italy’s most acclaimed authors, My Brilliant Friend is a rich, intense, and generous-hearted story about two friends, Elena and Lila. Ferrante’s inimitable style lends itself perfectly to a meticulous portrait of these two women that is also the story of a nation and a touching meditation on the nature of friendship. The story begins in the 1950s, in a poor but vibrant neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples. Growing up on these tough streets the two girls learn to rely on each other ahead of anyone or anything else. As they grow, as their paths repeatedly diverge and converge, Elena and Lila remain best friends whose respective destinies are reflected and refracted in the other. They are likewise the embodiments of a nation undergoing momentous change. Through the lives of these two women, Ferrante tells the story of a neighborhood, a city, and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between her protagonists, the unforgettable Elena and Lila."
I read an article about the book in the newspaper this morning, and for the first time in a very long time, I just wanted to run down to the book shop and buy "My brilliant friend". And - I really like the Swedish book cover.
New release
Yay - my third novel is ready for pre-order and will be auto-delivered to your Kindle on March 30, 2016!
"Years went by but all they knew was that he was Liam, unlike all the others. A little boy named Liam, himself and no one else. Nothing else was clear. Alice wished she could gather him up in her arms and hide him forever from all the fear and horror."
Alice and Jonathan have a child, Liam, but Alice's son brings her no joy. Something is very wrong. When Liam is eventually found to be seriously ill, the diagnosis tears the family apart. Alice is convinced she knows how to help her son, but Jonathan trusts the health care system and is determined to follow medical advice. Finally the only thing that binds the two of them is Liam himself, and the struggle to save him overwhelms them both. Nothing else matters, and their lives will never be the same...
Skinless is a powerful, unsparing and demanding story about a reality that touches the lives of many families.
Editorial reviews
You are a finalist, CONGRATS!
The Rival is one of the 2015 FINALISTS in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards.
The books were read by two reading groups, one in London and one in Stockholm. The books were marked according to editing, theme, style and cover.
The winners will be announced on April 1st, 2016, so I guess I´ll just ... wait.
Want your own copy?
Sneak peek
“Years went by but all they knew was that he was Liam, unlike all the others. A little boy named Liam, himself and no one else. Nothing else was clear. Alice wished she could gather him up in her arms and hide him forever from all the fear and horror.”
Alice and Jonathan have a child, Liam, but Alice’s son brings her no joy. Something is very wrong. When Liam is eventually found to be seriously ill, the diagnosis tears the family apart. Alice is convinced she knows how to help her son, but Jonathan trusts the health care system and is determined to follow medical advice. Finally the only thing that binds the two of them is Liam himself, and the struggle to save him overwhelms them both. Nothing else matters, and their lives will never be the same.
Skinless is a powerful, unsparing and demanding story about a reality that touches the lives of many families.
“This hair-raising and horrible account of developing madness and a mother’s wild desperation at her son’s illness is deeply moving. The unsparing substance and precision of the language shows us the author knows this territory well. This is her third novel describing mental illness and social exclusion.”
— Lena Condelius, BTJ -häftet, edition 21, 2015
“Undertaking the composition of a novel like Skinless certainly means yielding to the powerful temptation to immerse oneself into the miseries of others in order to analyze them. Sandra Gustafsson knows exactly what she’s doing. She opens herself wide to us, in my opinion, much like an actor identifying entirely with a role. It’s a completely convincing achievement.”
— Anna-Charlotte Östman, LitteraturMagazinet
“Really forceful, gripping and harrowing! Book of the Month for August, 2015."
— Jennie’s boklista
Me, my books and I
Interview with me on a book fair in Sweden.
We talk about my latest book Hudlös, and the fact that I always write about families with problems.
ps1 Maybe I can get you translated text, have to ask around.
ps2 Very sorry for the bad light, I was not so tired.
Book release
It was a nice evening at Akademibokhandeln (a large bookstore) in Stockholm. Hudlös is now officially released, yay.
Autumn
It is time for this years book fairs.
The first one out is Östergötlands Bokmässa, were I will give a short lecture about my first book, the autobiographical narrative The Dandelion Kid (2006).
It´s been a while since I talked about it. Actually, at one point I was so tired of being The Dandelion Kid so I said I never speak about the book (and my life) again.
Well. Now I am.
The second one is Göteborgs Bokmässa, and there will be a live webb-tv interview (hope you understand what I mean) with me regarding my books, and the fact that all of them in some way is about families.
New release!
Today is the day when my second novel, The Rival, is released.
You can find it here for 0.99 for a couple of weeks.
So far
What ever happened to this summer?
I´ve been working with the translation of my second novel (and third book) The Rival - (ready for pre-order here) and my new novel Hudlös (Skinless) that will be released in Sweden in two weeks.
I was supposed to read like 25 books - I´ve finished 3: When I Found You - Catherine Ryan Hyde, Someone - Alice McDermott and Journey by Moonlight - Antal Szerb.
Almost half way thru The Ghost House - Helen Phifer now.
The best place to read this summer was in Greece.
Two weeks in Greece (with a three day stop by in Turkey to visit some friends) with my youngest son. Two weeks and only three books - I know, I really have to speed up a bit.
