A review by jchant
Big in Sweden by Sally Franson

dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Halfway through reading this book, I was pretty sure that it was only going to get three stars, and possibly not even that. The story—Paulie gets chosen for a Swedish reality TV show exploring her ancestral roots—dragged and dragged and dragged. Then, at about the two/thirds mark, as the number of contestants dwindled, the pace picked up and I bought in to the premise. By the end, I was rooting for Paulie, and I was charmed by what she came to understand about her heritage, and especially about herself. After I finished the novel, I realized the parts that dragged were there to give the reader a sense of what a grind the filming of the show was. Anyway, if you read this book, try to persevere through the draggy parts because it ps off in the end.