This year's read-aloud book for Twilight Hour is the Swedish novel They Will Drown in Their Mothers' Tears (2017) by Johannes Anyuru. Danish translation: De vil drukne i deres mødres tårer (2018), translated by Birgitte Steffen Nielsen.
They Will Drown in Their Mothers' Tears by Johannes Anyuru is a futuristic novel that describes what a democratic society like Sweden could become if its democratic values are not protected.
During a lecture with a controversial cartoonist, a bookstore is targeted in a terrorist attack. This event is filmed and streamed. The girl who filmed the attack is later admitted to a forensic psychiatric clinic. Here, she contacts a writer with whom she wants to share her story. She says she comes from a future and divided Sweden. Her story causes the writer to reflect on his own life, belonging, and the society we live in. The novel portrays the consequences of distrust and marginalization, while also exploring themes of hope, freedom, and the power of language.
Original publisher: Norstedts.
The text will be available on the website for use during Nordic Literature Week between October 19 and November 16, 2026.