Supporting Act
Original title: Finna sig
Author: Agnes Lidbeck
Original publisher: Norstedts, 2017
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
UK publisher: Peirine Press
Translated from Swedish by Nichola Smalley

The social contract is not negotiated at an individual level. It is a universal set of rules that must be followed for society to function. The contract stipulates that the individual, henceforth known as The Woman, is required to play three roles. The Woman must be a mother. The Woman must be desirable. The Woman must be a caregiver.

When Anna gives birth, she takes on a new role. Everything is centred around her children. As her marriage collapses, she begins an affair with an aging author, only to find herself once again in the role of caregiver. Supporting Act is the study of a woman performing the roles society asks of her, even as they overlap, contradict and subsume each other.

Agnes Lidbeck’s debut is a thoughtful exploration of persistently debated female roles.

Praise for Supporting Act:

“In my years as a literary critic I have rarely come across anything like it. Supporting Act is a sensational debut.”

— Expressen

“Agnes Lidbeck has written a sharp and haunting debut.”

— Kulturnytt, Radio P1

“A powerful novel about submission.”

— Vi Läser Magazine

“Sometimes you come across real gems: books that are interesting, well-written, and well- balanced between linguistic style and an engaging story. Rarely, do they come from debut writers. Lidbeck’s debut novel, about women’s roles and self-realization, is an exception.”

— Borås Tidning