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A review by essayem
Such Good Work by Johannes Lichtman
4.0
Captivating story of a writer struggling professionally as a creative writing teacher but finding while it pays the bills, he really has limited interest and the pressure of being on and successful pushes him toward his personal struggles as a writer and recovering drug addict.
The narrative moves quickly, but succinctly, and you feel for Jonas because his efforts to change his situation while noble are met with continually met with frustration, if not failure.
When his teaching career fizzles out after one semester, he moves to Sweden, a place where he’s had dual citizenship since birth — hoping to separate himself from his past drug connections and focus more on writing and his place in a part of the world where though he was born into, isn’t really a part. While he does make strides in those areas, it’s not an entirely clean slate. He doesn’t kid himself about continually being drawn to drug use or what the drugs do for him; he’s still hiding that part of himself from his close friends and wanting still, to be a better person.
At the same time, Sweden is facing an influx of refugees from Syria and Afghanistan - it’s all over the news, and surprisingly (to him) in his face when he walks home after night out and sees the desperate families along the train station. He gets involved, seeking both to help in some way but also companionship - another aspect of his life in which he’s unable to articulate what he wants (companionship? romantic relationship? friends?) because it’s complicated.
Jonas is a messy person - his struggles are relevant and timely; he evolves through his struggles genuinely and not without cost.
(Digital copy provided by NetGalley for fair review)
The narrative moves quickly, but succinctly, and you feel for Jonas because his efforts to change his situation while noble are met with continually met with frustration, if not failure.
When his teaching career fizzles out after one semester, he moves to Sweden, a place where he’s had dual citizenship since birth — hoping to separate himself from his past drug connections and focus more on writing and his place in a part of the world where though he was born into, isn’t really a part. While he does make strides in those areas, it’s not an entirely clean slate. He doesn’t kid himself about continually being drawn to drug use or what the drugs do for him; he’s still hiding that part of himself from his close friends and wanting still, to be a better person.
At the same time, Sweden is facing an influx of refugees from Syria and Afghanistan - it’s all over the news, and surprisingly (to him) in his face when he walks home after night out and sees the desperate families along the train station. He gets involved, seeking both to help in some way but also companionship - another aspect of his life in which he’s unable to articulate what he wants (companionship? romantic relationship? friends?) because it’s complicated.
Jonas is a messy person - his struggles are relevant and timely; he evolves through his struggles genuinely and not without cost.
(Digital copy provided by NetGalley for fair review)