Thanks to the publisher for my free digital ARC of Antiquity by Hanna Johansson, translated from the Swedish by Kira Josefsson. I’ll generally request most books based on vibes on Netgalley, and if they’re translated or queer literary fiction I’ll almost definitely request it. So when I saw this one was literary, queer AND translated, I immediately pressed request. Perhaps I should have paid more heed to the blurb likening this to a queer Lolita retelling. Next time an author has an idea for any type of Lolita retelling, I’m going to need them to just put that idea in a little box in the back of their mind and lock it up 🙂

I’m being a bit dramatic - Antiquity is not as grotesque as Lolita, but the fact remains it is a story of a grown woman embarking on an affair with a 15 year old. The blurb describes it as perverse and there’s no condoning of the behaviour but I just… it felt unnecessary.

Icky subject matter aside, the writing also felt cold. It felt objectively beautiful, but it was lacking a soul. I felt disconnected from the beginning and I only really persevered because it was short.

Other reviewers seem to have had a better time with this one, so definitely check out their reviews too for a more balanced opinion.