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A review by emilyinherhead
Such Good Work by Johannes Lichtman
4.0
3.5 stars.
Jonas is a graduate student in his late 20s who struggles with addiction and moves to Sweden to avoid drugs (hopefully), finish his degree, and do something good with his life. Throughout the book I alternated between disliking Jonas and identifying with him—extensive discussion of drugs aside (they are a large part of what he thinks about, understandably), he is a fairly relatable character, which at times made me feel implicated and uncomfortable. He's very honest and introspective about how the driving forces behind doing good things aren't always as pure as we'd like to believe.
Though not a lot happens plot-wise, I enjoyed following along in Jonas' head and watching a subtle shift take place as he attempted to improve his behavior and understand his own motivations. Johannes Lichtman brings up some really meaty and important points here, about selfishness, self-righteousness, and condescension in the context of helping others. I can see this story being especially salient to privileged white readers trying to figure out their place in contemporary discussions of race, immigration, and poverty.
Jonas is a graduate student in his late 20s who struggles with addiction and moves to Sweden to avoid drugs (hopefully), finish his degree, and do something good with his life. Throughout the book I alternated between disliking Jonas and identifying with him—extensive discussion of drugs aside (they are a large part of what he thinks about, understandably), he is a fairly relatable character, which at times made me feel implicated and uncomfortable. He's very honest and introspective about how the driving forces behind doing good things aren't always as pure as we'd like to believe.
Though not a lot happens plot-wise, I enjoyed following along in Jonas' head and watching a subtle shift take place as he attempted to improve his behavior and understand his own motivations. Johannes Lichtman brings up some really meaty and important points here, about selfishness, self-righteousness, and condescension in the context of helping others. I can see this story being especially salient to privileged white readers trying to figure out their place in contemporary discussions of race, immigration, and poverty.