EVERYTHING IS NOT ENOUGH

Three Black women navigate racism, classism, and marriage in Sweden.

This is the sequel to In Every Mirror She’s Black (2021), in which three women of color linked in different ways to the same wealthy man navigate the treacherous ground of entitlement, race, and class in one of the most progressive countries in the world. Sweden is often held up as a paragon of inclusive virtue, but for the women in this novel, racism doesn’t stay hidden beneath the surface. Kemi Adeyemi, a powerhouse marketing executive at the firm owned by CEO Johan “Jonny” von Lundin, finds her career in jeopardy when she embarks on a tumultuous affair with a married white colleague. Jonny’s wife, Brittany-Rae, exists in a world of wealth and privilege but finds herself stifled by her husband’s obsessive behavior and believes she’s only a fetish to him. Muna Saheed, a Somali refugee who played a role in the first novel, remains in a coma for most of this book, but her storyline continues through the eyes of her friend Yasmiin Çelik, an immigrant from Mogadishu who must confront the painful secrets of her past—and her husband’s secrets, too. Åkerström paints a harsh portrait of the insidious bigotry in Swedish society, exploring the pressures on Black women to constantly remain strong and unassailable, because making a mistake will never be forgiven. The author also tackles necessary questions about tokenism and economic advantages in an insular society, but the writing doesn’t match the thematic depth of the material. A possible murder plot feels like a sensational distraction, and characters often register as one-dimensional. In the sex scenes, there are so many heaving chests and men “claiming” women that the book feels like an old-fashioned bodice-ripper instead of the important novel it could be.

Important questions are raised, but inexpert writing and one-dimensional characters detract from the story.