The Divorce

Absolutely loved it!
After 32 years of marriage Bea and Niklas’ marriage is in crisis. We hear the story from Bea’s point of view first, then get to hear how Niklas feels in part 2. The final third of the story alternates between them as they navigate a new normal Never has the saying ‘there are two sides to every story’ rung more true and I alternated between frustration, anger and sadness as their story unfurled. This is a story that will stick with me for a while. I loved the authors realistic storytelling and character development throughout. Thoroughly recommend!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for this honest review.

This is the story of Bea and Niklas' marriage break up. Niklas just does not come home one day and eventually tells Bea that their marriage is over and that he has met someone else. Bea is totally blindsided and refuses to admit there is anything wrong. She loves being part of Niklas' extended family as her own are not supportive, and is reluctant to give up this lifestyle. Their separate points of view are explored sensitively and the background history of their marriage is gradually revealed. I was on Nilklas' side from the start, even though the way he did it was wrong, as Bea was focussed on her lifestyle and was unsympathetic to her husband's stresses. It takes her a long time to come to terms with her new situation and she clings to the belief that he will come to his senses and return to what they had. The novel is very well written and a compelling read. The translation is excellent. I can see this as a TV mini-series..

This was such a hard read because of the topic and very emotional if you have ever been through something like this, i had to keep reading it to find out what happens. I sympathised with the main character Bea so much as the husband wouldn’t communicate with her at all and I just wanted to scream at him lol I wouldn’t read this if you are going through a divorce or a break up as I found it triggering in some places as I’ve been in Bea shoes and it’s not very nice and it’s absolutely soul destroying and I felt the frustration in Bea through the writing. Well done in writing this topic so well

"The Divorce" is an interesting literary exploration of an end of a long marriage between two people informed by traumatic experiences. These experiences leave them with a sense of voicelessness, especially in the context of their relationship. Things left unsaid and unaddressed grew to such an extent that seemingly minor disagreement leads the husband, Niklas, to leave Bea.

Narrative choice to begin with Bea's point of view was an interesting one. Moa Herngren lures the readers to the wife's version of reality, in which her efforts are unnoticed, taken for granted and her husband grows more and more distant. In her point of view, Bea is treated unfairly, left in the dark, frustrated with her inability to restore the broken bond. It becomes too easy to resent the husband alongside wounded female protagonist. When Niklas' perspective is introduced and his motives become more known, it completely shifts the optics. The weight of unaddressed issues becomes even more apparent, as well as both-sided responsibility for the marriage becoming broken beyond repair.

It was a good read, also from the cultural standpoint, showcasing Scandi tendency of sweeping unpleasant feeling under the rug without an intention to actually working through them until it is too late.

This is the story about Bea and Niklas, together for over thirty years when he disappears. When he re-emerges it transpires that he has been having an affair and now wants a divorce. I found the story a bit of a sad read given the topic matter but liked the fact it was woven and told from both of their points of view.

In a beautifully written book, Herngren was able to masterfully present both characters' views and then intertwine them into a lovely culmination. A shed a tear or two and for me, that is the mark of a great book.

Seeing the relationship dynamic from both sides was very intriguing and it definitely made the story more interesting to me as you get to see both of their emotions and reasonings behind their decisions.

Acclaimed Swedish writer Moa Herngren’s novel explores the end of a marriage which has survived three decades from both points of view.
Bea and Niklas began their relationship in the shadow of Bea’s brother’s suicide. Theirs is a marriage which grew out of comfort and protection, Niklas accepting Bea’s decision to take a rewarding but low paid job after their twin daughters went to school. He’s a paediatrician, recently accepting a stressful managerial role, overcoming his reluctance in the face of mounting debt. When Bea discovers that Niklas has forgotten to book their ferry tickets to her beloved Gotland, she lets out a tirade of complaint prompting him to walk out of the apartment, not for the first time. By the following summer both Bea and Niklas’ lives have changed in ways neither could have expected.

Herngren tells the couple’s story in three parts beginning with Bea before switching to Niklas then bringing them together in the final section. It’s a structure that works well. Bea’s utter conviction that her marriage is unassailable together with the demands she puts upon Nicklas and her seeming inability to put her children first make her an unsympathetic character for much of the novel until the penny finally drops. She’s a woman who has made herself almost entirely dependent on her husband and his family, seemingly more in love with them than she is with him. Niklas suffers from a guilt whose root we find out some way into the novel, and a huge sense of responsibility coupled with an inability to assert himself, a crushing pressure from which he manages to finally crawl out from beneath. I found myself taking sides fairly quickly which I hadn’t expected, hoping for a more balanced view of the split. That said, I enjoyed Herngren’s novel and would be happy to read another.