Swedish author, Sigge Eklund, has written a binge-worthy novel that sneaks up on the reader until you find it impossible to put down.
The Group gives us a snapshot of life over twelve months, of a Swedish woman, Hanna. She has moved to Spain to start a job as an archival intern at the prestigious Prado gallery. However, things are not what they seem.
Fascinated by the painter Francisco Goya, having studied his work meticulously, her cheeks burn with excitement when she finally sees the original painting of Witch’s Sabbath that hangs in the museum. She begins to imagine herself as one of the women in the painting.
However, Hanna’s job is not so glamorous and involves long hours buried in the museum’s archives, a series of dynamited granite tunnels five storeys below the Spanish museum. Her days are stifling, with no air conditioning and a monotonous routine. Her job is to go through the archive drawers to ensure the old illustrations, etchings and handwritten letters are correctly categorised. It is solitary and becomes boring.
Coming home to her tiny rented flat, she longs for friends, or a relationship, but finds both equally difficult. She spies a group of beautiful people, Tom, Samuel and Leah. They look glamorous, elegant and Hanna becomes fascinated by them. Drawn to them. Obsessed with them. She must find a way to become one of their small group. They are so different to her with their fabulously wealthy lifestyles, beautiful clothes, and their endless whirl of creativity and hedonism.
Hanna must find a way to become accepted as one of them. Then she makes a discovery in the archive that may change everything. She makes a monumental decision that takes her from the streets of Madrid to the gleaming world of the Mediterranean. To fast cars, luxury villas and exclusive parties as Hanna becomes a part of the lifestyle she had so desperately wanted. The stakes increase page by page, which makes for an unputdownable book.
The Group is a story about hidden identities, personalities and above all, obsession. It has been translated into English by Rachel Willson-Broyles and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Reviewed by Carole Brungar
Bonnier Books