Synopsis
'Ari Aster's Midsommar and Bong Joon-ho's Parasite, mixed with Stephen King'
- Malin Nauwerck, Aftonbladet
The Muse is an electrifying and timely gothic folk horror about the cost of creativity and the monopoly of the cultural elite from Sweden’s cult horror king, Mats Strandberg
Divorced crime writer Hedda Strömberg can no longer write. Financial ruin is closing in on her and her eight-year-old son Hugo. She must find inspiration again. Now. It feels like a lifeline when her successful colleague, David Ridings, invites her to his family’s summer house. Far from the routines of daily life, perhaps her imagination can finally flow freely again.
The “summer house” turns out to be the grand Villa Thamyris, a sprawling mansion that, in the late 19th century, served as an important hub for the cultural elite of its time. During her stay, Hedda struggles against the paralyzing envy that David Ridings always stirs in her. The magnificent house and its inhabitants remind her of everything she lacks. The family possesses both wealth and cultural capital, rooted in generations of privilege.
At Villa Thamyris, Hedda finds her inspiration. Writing feels magical again. But she also discovers that the imposing brick walls hide dark secrets. Creativity has a steep price, and everything comes to a head when Hedda’s son arrives just in time for the Midsummer
celebration.
'A dark, literary triumph that is genuinely hard to put down'
- Göteborgs Posten
Details
Reviews
“Strandberg plays with gothic themes, and substantiates that which other works in
”Jonas Thente, Dagens Nyheter
the genre often lock away in the basement or in the attic . . . Strandberg’s gothic standing
is undisputed
“An irresistible mix of the folk horror film “Midsommar”, Donna Tartt and any example
”Jenny Lindh, Dagens Nyheter
of the plentiful cantankerous op-eds on “the cultural elite”
“It';s Ari Aster's Midsommar and Bong Joon-ho's Parasite, mixed with Stephen King . . . a writer
”Malin Nauwerck, Aftonbladet
who has demonstrated a frightening dual nature
“Mats Strandberg, just like the horror master King, excels at writing characters . . . And even though the horror aspect is present throughout the story, it’s the characters that stay with me after finishing. Strandberg's best novel so far”Jönköpingsposten, Jönköpingsposten
