Connie Ogle and Carole E. Barrowman | Star Tribune (TNS) From Nigeria to Sweden to seedy L.A.
, this summer’s literary fiction and mysteries/thrillers provide exciting escapes. Big in Sweden By Sally Franson Mariner | Out July 2 American Paulie Johansson never thought about auditioning for reality TV but when a friend encourages her to try out for a Swedish genealogy competition, she makes a drunken video and is chosen to participate. The winner gets to meet long-lost relatives, an appealing prize because Paulie isn’t close to her own family.
But as the cast travels, bickers and learns that Scandinavia may not be the utopia they imagine, Paulie is forced to reconsider her ideas about what’s important. Using “Pippi Longstocking” as a touchstone, Minneapolis author Franson has written a sidesplitting yet wistful story about examining priorities. Enlightenment By Sarah Perry Mariner | Out June 4 The intersection of faith and science propels Perry’s rich examination of friendship, astronomy and the desire to understand the universe.
Thomas Hart and Grace Macaulay, three decades apart in age, have been members of a small religious community in Essex their whole lives. Thomas compartmentalizes his sexuality, only indulging in trysts with men in London; Grace is awkward, demanding and off-putting. Romantic relationships test their odd friendship, but the mystery of a vanished astronomer who may have discovered a comet draws them together.
The novel can feel disconcertingl.
