Det finns inget paradis review

Alex has not enjoyed visiting his grandfather since his grandmother died. But his mother keeps insisting that the old man has a good heart. Almost as soon as he arrives, Alex looks for ways to spend time outside of his grandfather’s home and visits Tage, although Alex is not sure if Tage has been forced to be friendly to him as their mothers are friends. Alex lies to both his grandfather and Tage’s mother about where he has eaten.

Alex and Tage spend their days hanging out and riding bikes in the forest. The boys are frightened of a group of older boys led by Backlund’s brother. One day while escaping Backlund’s brother they meet Nina. Alex is instantly drawn to Nina because she is different from the other teenagers in the village, who mocked the slogan on his t-shirt. In contrast, Nina appears to understand Alex.

Over the course of the weeks, Alex begins to realise that he and Tage no longer have much in common and have outgrown their childhood friendship. Alex also does not like Tage’s friends from the village. Nevertheless, he still spends time with him in the hope of bumping into Nina again. That’s why he agrees to go to a party at the beach. On the night of the party, his grandfather asks him to dine with him. The table is set with a tablecloth and decorations, and his grandfather reveals that it would have been his wedding anniversary and he still deeply misses his grandmother. Alex slowly starts to feel empathy for the old man.

He still attends the party and Nina is actually there. Alex leaves Tage and friends to hang out with her. They decided to go swimming, but while they are in the water, military manoeuvres start out at sea. When Alex sees them, he believes an invasion is starting, rushes out of the water and faints. Nina catches him and brings him home where they exchange secrets. Nina explains that she and her mother are in hiding from her violent father. They arrange to meet the next day.

Later in the night Alex talks to his grandfather and he realises how much his grandfather loved his grandmother. His grandfather tells him about the blow-up coat hangers whose air he breathes in on special occasions because his grandmother blew them up.

The next day, Alex goes to meet Nina, but Tage also shows up. Then Backlund’s brother appears. Nina refuses to be afraid of him and steals his moped. Tage and Alex chase her on their bikes, and eventually find where she is living in the forest. She is angry that they followed her and feels betrayed by Alex because he knows that she needs to keep her whereabouts secret. That is the last time he sees Nina and afterwards he chooses to spend his time with his grandfather rather than Tage.

In the next school year, Alex realises that he has also outgrown some of his childhood friends and finds new friends with shared interests. He often thinks about Nina and where she may be. A few years later his grandfather dies, and Alex is glad that he got to spend those weeks with him.

There Is No Paradise offers a sensitive look at coming of age in modern-day Sweden and Europe. The threat of war in neighbouring countries looms over children and teenagers in a way they struggle to process, adding an extra layer of complication to the usual growing pains of friendships, first loves and family.

Alex is a character who  readers warm to instantly and his frank expressions of his emotions feel honest and authentic. I found it refreshing that that Oskar Kroon’s main character is a boy, as YA novels focussing on these kinds of issues are more frequently told from the point of view of a female protagonist. Alex observing his grandfather’s grief is particularly poignant.

There Is No Paradise is a well-observed YA novel and perfect for readers aged 12 to 15.