AVSKEDSFESTEN – THE FAREWELL PARTY

By Anna Fredriksson

Rebecca and her husband Jacob has decided to get a divorce. It’s not at all dramatic. Their passion is gone and has been replaced by friendship. But when they tell their friends during their annual end of summer party, the news hit like a bomb. They’ve been married for 24 years and no one has noticed any trouble. Their friends all have strong reactions, in their own way, even though Rebecca tells them to see this weekend as a spontaneous farewell party, as well as the start of something new and exciting. She wants to set an example that a separation doesn’t have to be a catastrophe. Naturally, they will all keep company and continue on just as usual.

But after the divorce nothing turns out the way Rebecca has imagined. Her connection with her friends deteriorate quite fast and Rebecca is forced to realize that as a single, you’re no longer invited to couples-dinners.

The Farewell Party is a novel about breaking up a long marriage and having to orient in an unknown world, and how to slow- ly create a new identity in the midst of life.

First published by Forum Förlag, 2016

298 pages

Poland, Proszynyski
Sweden, Forum

“Anna Fredriksson got divorced a couple of years ago from a long marriage. Here she pours out her personal experiences, which also are very universal. The recognition is high […] Wise, beautiful wordings about friends disappearing and the feeling of emptiness. A novel about the relief of a happy divorce and the sorrow for what has been lost. A good, comforting read for anyone who wants to move on in life.”
Tara

“Anna Fredriksson is a master when it comes to depicting peoples everyday lives, both happiness and sadness, so it’s very recognizable. […] “The Farewell Party” is entertainment and drama all in one, with a large dose of welcomed realism.”
Norran

BOOKS

Fiction