mizeria deluxe, a review

Title: Mizeria (2018), Lowkey (2021) and 100K (2022).
Author: Melody Farshin.
Translation: Only available in Swedish.
Pages: Mizeria (134), Lowkey (156) and 100K (160).
Rating: 4,5 out of 5 hangovers.
Trigger warning: Death and shootings (gun violence).

Three years ago, I bought and read Mizeria for the first time and I was hooked.

The book series takes place in a hood in Stockholm where twins and teenagers Ali and Aicha are our main characters, together yet separately. Two people who used to be very close growing up, but now barely talk to each other. One dealing with depression because of a broken heart and the other one, an overachiever whose life turns upside down because of a traumatic event.

Each chapter is short and straight to the point of the story which I absolutely love. The language is quick-witted and bold. The author doesn’t shy away from using every type of jargon and speech-style that’s commonly used by people who live in the hood. There’s a plethora of characters but I was never overwhelmed with getting to know them.

While reading the books, I realized that there’s so many words that I used to use as a teenager and in my early 20’s that I had even forgotten about. And it brought me so much joy because these books brought me back to a time from so far ago (the very good, the extremely bad and the oh so ugly) and it healed a part of me, my teenage self, that needed healing.

All three books have a common denominator, a deadly shooting.
Mizeria shows life before said shooting, but also during and after.
Lowkey talks about why it even happened.
100K is all about getting our questions answered, the shooter and their motive.

The books are all very funny yet deeply sad.
They touch on subjects that many people from the hood deals with, sometimes daily and it felt nice to be seen.

After finishing this trilogy, I found out that there was a fucking play based on these books?! I hope that the play will make a comeback because I will be first in line to watch it.

I was sad to say goodbye to the series and selfishly wish that the author would come out with a fourth book. They’re definitely on my list of books I wish I could read again for the first time.

Favourite quotes (100K)

There is a difference between us who are the age of your older siblings.
We didn’t have an older generation that was rich, our parents were refugees and had left everything. We had no one in our immediate environment to compare us with who lived richer. These kids today have Airmax on their feet before they even learn how to walk. We became the first children, we who didn’t even get an Adidas until we started working ourselves.

”It’s not even expensive with three lines…”, I object.

”You feel that way because you’ve lived on free money. You who are only a few years younger than us are branded from head to toe, sponsored by your mothers and sisters. Rich on the outside, poor on the inside, we can’t even have friendly banter with you, no self-distance whatsoever. Social status, the most important! You’ll kill a guy for innocently looking at you at a certain way. When a person comes with a sock that isn’t Boss, all of a sudden he’s not. Do you even know what I used to wear? The fabric that was on sale. If mom found a fabric that was on sale, she made our clothes, curtains, pajamas and chair covers out of it. Same camouflage but zebra-leopard pattern with fishes and angels on it. We just had to accept it.”

I look down again and recognize myself.
How different people approach me as soon as I leveled up my wardrobe.
Even though I’m the same insecure guy with arms too thin for T-shirts and teeth too crooked to even smile.

And also..

100K has never felt less valuable than today.
Not that the money would have ever made the case any easier, but it made me blind.
I allowed myself to think that I was bigger than I truly am, the strap became the muscles I always wanted.
But the 100K in my pocket would have been spent in one weekend, as if that’s worth a conscience that’s now forever damaged. My empathy died out thanks to drugs and money. Money that never came.

Other books I’ve read: Literature
My dark Vanessa
The Metamorphosis
A little life