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The Details

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The Details

By: Ia Genberg, Kira Josefsson - translator
Narrated by: Julie Maisey
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About this listen

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
LONGLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE 2024
WINNER OF THE AUGUST PRIZE 2022 (BEST FICTION)

'[A] miraculous sort of novel' Hernan Diaz, author of TRUST
'I wish I could write like this' Fredrik Backman, author of A MAN CALLED OVE
'Mesmerizing and hot to the touch' Catherine Lacey, NEW YORK TIMES
'Textured insights into human nature' THE NEW YORKER

A famous broadcaster writes a forgotten love letter; a friend abruptly disappears; a lover leaves something unexpected behind; a traumatised woman is consumed by her own anxiety.

In the throes of a high fever, a woman lies bedridden. Suddenly, she is struck with an urge to revisit a particular novel from her past. Inside the book is an inscription: a message from an ex-girlfriend.

Pages from her past begin to flip, full of things she cannot forget and people who cannot be forgotten. Johanna, that same ex-girlfriend, now a famous TV host. Niki, the friend who disappeared all those years ago. Alejandro, who appears like a storm in precisely the right moment. And Birgitte, whose elusive qualities shield a painful secret.

Who is the real subject of a portrait, the person being painted or the one holding the brush? The Details is a novel built around four such portraits, unveiling the fragments of memory and experience that make up a life. In exhilarating, provocative prose, Ia Genberg reveals an intimate and powerful celebration of what it means to be human.

MORE PRAISE FOR THE DETAILS:

'A novel that, through its very bones, encapsulates one of the most important ideas of our current political moment - the necessity of connection, and our vulnerability to one other' Susannah Dickey, author of TENNIS LESSONS

'A woozy, affecting dive into desire, domination and memory' FINANCIAL TIMES

'An ode to the different kinds of love that form us . . . I won't forget this beautiful book' Jenna Clake, author of DISTURBANCE

'A fever dream . . . A feat of characterization, a triumph of lending language and profundity to observations of daily life' LITERARY HUB

©2023 Ia Genberg and Kira Josefsson (P)2023 Headline Publishing Group Ltd
Literary Fiction Psychological Fiction
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What listeners say about The Details

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Loose and tight at the same time

The best thing about this audio book is the reading. The way the reader uses emphasis is brilliant. The stresses on parts of the sentences provide additional meaning - so good. Lovely pace and a beautiful voice to listen to - very well suited to this story.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

The narrator was excellent

I enjoyed this short novel. It was very engaging and a good read. The narrator was very good

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    5 out of 5 stars
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The details

What a moving sensation, a wonderful story . I thoroughly enjoyed it . The last chapter has shook me . Congratulations, a fantastic read .

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    4 out of 5 stars

An intense ramble

An intense yet wandering ramble though the lives of a few astonishing, yet familiar, characters

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

An acquired taste

This will be of great interest to anyone who knows Sweden or has visited the country extensively. It is not a memorable novel but different stories appeal to different tastes.
A group of naive waste-of-space characters live banal lives influenced by trends and books. They are fashionably promiscuous and describe their one-night stands as 'affairs.'
The text contains many cultural references which, without the support of a glossary, seasoned readers will skip over. It is a short but drab book, and not one I would want to listen to again. I think the 'drabness' was accentuated by the manner of the reading which seemed void of animation. Particularly irritating was the reader's pronunciation of /r/ as /w/. A poor reading can lead to disappointment with a book. I think it would be better to read this book oneself than listen to a dull audio rendering.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Much ado about nothing

An autobiographical look at moments in a woman’s life that is not great. The only chapter I enjoyed was about her friend who clearly had some sort of mood disorder.

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1 person found this helpful