The Trio

Swedish writer Johanna Hedman’s The Trio follows three young people, two already intimate friends, who form a close bond when Hugo becomes a lodger in Thora’s house, a friendship that throws a long shadow.

The child of academic parents, Hugo is a little disorientated by the Stillers’ privilege and wealth. A recent book about the source of that wealth has caused quite a kerfuffle in this household labelled ‘bougeois bohemian’ by August, Thora’s dearest friend and sometimes lover. Hugo remains outside the orbit of these two for some time, observing their intimacy with fascination and a tinge of envy, gradually drawn into it until he’s unsure whether it’s Thora or August he loves. When he and Thora eventually begin a relationship, it’s barely acknowledged by either of them except when they’re alone and even then, only with ambivalence. Decades later, Thora and August’s daughter rings the bell of Hugo’s New York apartment asking questions about her mother.

The complicated relationship between Hugo, Thora and August is beautifully portrayed, full of tensions and competing dynamics yet intensely intimate. These are complex characters: Thora, distant, cold and self-contained yet deeply dependent on August’s affection; August, warm, open and loved yet given to episodes of depression and Hugo, fascinated by the bond between these two yet unable to quite shrug off his habitual role as an outsider. Very much a novel about relationships, it’s underpinned by a political awareness of privilege, morality and the power that springs from wealth. The only part that didn’t quite work for me was its bookending by two short sections set in New York. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this accomplished novel, full of complexity, which leaves much for readers to infer.