The novel “Stockholm,” written by acclaimed Israeli author Noa Yedlin originally was published in Israel in 2016. It was translated into English and published in the United States in November of last year. I was given an advanced reader’s copy for free, and this is my independent review.

Let me say from the outset that this book did not meet my expectations. Based on the author’s literary accolades, including Israel’s Sapir Prize (the Israeli Man Booker) and the Prime Minister’s Prize for Hebrew Literary Works, I expected better. I also expected better based on the premise: a group of elderly friends, each close to 70 years old, decide to keep the recent death of one of their group a secret from ANYONE and EVERYONE, including the deceased‘s mother and sister, and all of their own family members. Why? Because within a few days the winner of the Nobel Prize for economics will be announced, and winners must be alive at the time of the announcement in order to receive the accolade (and its accompanying large sum.) The deceased appears to be a leading candidate for the prize, and his friends want him to receive the honor they think he deserves. Various friends also might benefit from this outcome.

What ensues, obviously, is a madcap adventure trying to keep the death secret. The story is told through the eyes of the different friends, alternating chapters and corresponding to their current involvement in the deception. This goes on entirely too long. Had the book been at least 100 pages shorter, it might’ve been more palatable. Many pages are devoted to each individual’s pathos and feelings of belonging within the group and beyond and their various relationships with other members and their own families and intimate relationships.

As one would expect, the dead body begins to decompose, and each step is disgustingly described in detail. At one point, the group moves the body from his apartment to one of their homes. The detailed description of the process was revolting; I had a hard time reading it in all its gory details. The ending seemed anticlimactic and rushed.

Overall, I truly expected better. Nevertheless, I thank Ms. Yedlin, HarperCollins Publishers Inc., and NetGalley for giving me the unpublished manuscript of the book. As I said at the start, I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

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Stockholm by Noa Yedlin is a dark comedy about an older group of friends (late 60s, early 70s) attempting to keep secret the death of a friend. Ms. Yedlin is an award-winning Israeli writer.

Yehuda is an economist who is having a tough time publishing his book. The one way he is most likely to publish is if his childhood friend, Avishay wins the Nobel Prize and writes an introduction.
But Avishay died, and the Nobel committee doesn’t award the prize posthumously.

Yehuda’s friends have their own motives to participate in the ruse. Zohara is Avishay’s secret lover and is afraid she will be left out. Nili just loves the excitement, and Amos is an academic who wants to show he is not jealous of his colleagues’ success.

This is an original dark comedy, with a flowing narrative and very entertaining. The story is somewhat bombastic, but it’s a silly premise to tell a character-driven tale.

It’s hilarious that the MacGuffin in Stockholm by Noa Yedlin is the death of a good friend which has everything and has nothing to do with the plot. The story is about an aging generation, their fears, demands by children and grandchildren, retirement, technology, and the need to reinvent yourself at an advanced age.

A fun book, filled with humor that also tries to answer meaningful questions, while also shine a light on the characters’ insecurities. These older folks find themselves attempting to redefine what is a partnership, family, and society. Some of them value privacy, while others simply don’t care anymore.
All things everyone have to deal with, but not at that age.

I haven’t read many books about people who are older than 70. Each chapter, or section, is written from the point of view of a different person which makes the reading interesting. One of the characters I found to a lot in common with and it was easy to read, others I had nothing in common but enjoyed their sections, and others were just OK. But the fact that we don’t all like the same thing is part of the narrative, and I think made the book better.

3.5 stars
Stockholm by Noa Yedlin was a dark and humorous look into friendships of a group of older friends. When one of them dies suddenly, news of the deceased must be protected so he can still be win the nobel peace prize for economics. The book delves into the individual friends' lives and how the friendships started and progresses. This was a good story but sometimes felt choppy. I totally get why it was turned into a TV show.

Interesting premise where a group of friends discover one of them passed away days before finding out if he got the Nobel prize of Economics, so they decide to make the world believe he is still very much alive. This story was stressful and quirky at the same time, we get to know each of them quite deeply with a few plot twists. I enjoyed the writing a lot, this is an example of a translation well done. Get you a group of friends that will go out of their way to ensure your life's work is recognized even if you're dead.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publishers for the eARC.

3.5 I thought the premise of this book made it sound like a fun read. And it was to a point. It's definitely a black comedy, which I realize is not to everyone's taste. Also it is a translation to English from Hebrew, which I think it loses some of the intended humor in translation. Heavily character driven, vs plot driven, we get a peak into the minds of people seeking to make their lives still have meaning and value as they are in the "autumn" of their lives. The dialog can be heavy and long- winded at times. At other times the antics of the group of friends is laugh out loud funny. In the end this book celebrates attempting to age with grace, but also with pluck, and having a reliable group of friends along for the ride! Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

STOCKHOLM is a dark comedy wherein a group of close friends strive to conceal the death of one of their own, currently being considered for a Nobel Prize. How far will they go? The author has a good time mining the foibles of these characters, alone and together, as they wonder the same thing. The book is, at times, an awkward translation from Hebrew; I would have enjoyed a better English version. Heavily character-driven with frequent internal monologues, the book is a peak inside the lives of a cohort seeking to define themselves near the end of their lives. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

This book has a very interesting plot which was the main reason why I was drawn to it. In the beginning, I found the characters intriguing. However, as it progressed I found the book to be extremely character driven that the interesting plot was lost and in my opinion just became sort of a side story. There were some funny and hilarious parts in the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperVia for the e-ARC.

When Zara finds her lover and best friend deceased in his bed she quickly calls their other best friends to come over. It seems he was up for a Pulitzer Prize in the awards are being given out in eight days and it’s something his friends think he deserves and doesn’t want him to miss out on. This is when they come up with a plan to prevent the world from knowing about his death because no one can win the award posthumously. They think covered every base except for the things they forgot and that is where the problem lies. From a speech on economic happiness to unforeseen guessed it seems the group of friends haven’t thought of absolutely everything and the things they forgot or kind of big deals. I found this book so funny from the inventor who wants to publish a book to the grandma who loves being a grandma but doesn’t want to be one to Zara who thinks she is owed a widows grievance even though no one knew she was even sleeping with the deceased to the friend who most has to impersonate him on the phone and the stairs because he doesn’t think he’s reached his potential there is so much to this book it is like weekend at Bernie’s but smarter and funnier… Although I did love weekend at Bernie’s! I apologize for not putting their name down it took me several chapters before I could even know what character they were talking about because they are not names I hear every day and I apologize for that but having said that this is an awesome book and one I definitely recommend. I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc copy.

How far would your friends go to "keep you alive" when you are dead but are up for the Nobel Prize?

This delightful book is about hope, friendship, and politics. I was captured from the first page to the last. I recommend you read it too

I loved the idea of the plot and the characters. However, I didn't enjoy the writing style; it reads like stream of consciousness, and it makes it hard to stay focused and engaged.