BIG IN SWEDEN - Sally Franson


 Paulie Johansson is in a long-term relationship with Declan. It's comfortable, but hardly exciting. On a lark, Paulie auditions to be on a Swedish reality television show, Sverige och Mig (Sweden and Me) in which contestants participate in a number of contests, someone gets eliminated and the ultimate winner gets to connect with Swedish ancestral relatives.

Paulie is accepted to the program and leaves her boyfriend and best friend to spend a couple of months in Sweden filming the new season of Sverige och Mig. She gets highly emotional, crying a lot - which the Swedes love (their nickname for the show is "Crying Americans"), though she manages to make it through most of the challenges.

There isn't a lot of personal time, but Paulie does manage to talk to Declan on occasion, though the conversations seem tepid at best.  She then has an emotional affair with a crew member from the Swedish production team.

When Paulie returns home, having both pushed Sverige och Mig to new places and been pushed to learn more about herself. She has a new appreciation for Declan and admits to him her affair, which he completely understands (and expected) and is happy to have her back.

I am really not sure what to make of this book.  As a Swedish-American with a strong interest in ancestry, the appeal for me is obvious, but the book defies classification.  "Chick-lit"? I hate the term, but that's probably what it most closely fits as Paulie is on a journey, not just to meet previously un-met family in Sweden, but to understand what 'family' and 'friendship' and 'romance' means to her.

The problem lies in that the self-journey feels like a tag on the end of the book, rather than the journey of the book. The journey is being put through the paces of a reality show and learning about her inner strength and resolve.

I'd get through a chapter or two and really enjoy what was happening, and then I'd hit another chapter or two and wonder what that was all about, then repeat.

If the roles were reverse and it was Declan's journey and infidelity to Paulie, there'd be an uproar over the misogynistic treatment of poor Paulie. But with this story, we're expected to think more highly of Declan for standing by and proving the "if you love something, let if free" philosophy.

I thought it was interesting to note that author Sally Franson actually was a cast member of a Swedish reality show (Allt för Sverige) - which makes one wonder how autobiographical this might be.

This was, at times, an enjoyable read and at other times, a frustrating read. Ultimately I'm left wondering if it was worth the time (and I'm still not sure).

Looking for a good book? Chick-Lit readers (but not Romance readers) might enjoy the foreign reality game show plot in Big in Sweden by Sally Franson, but the takeaways from the book are ultimately more challenging to identify than they need to be.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

2-1/2 stars

* * * * * *

Big in Sweden

author: Sally Franson

publisher: Mariner Books

ISBN: 9780063312746

hardcover, 320 pages

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