Fiction Hits in Spain, Sweden

Lots of new fiction in Spain and Sweden in April. Popular Spanish novelist Eduardo Mendoza’s newest work, Pel’s Amazing Trip to Pomponio, debuts in Spain’s top spot. The novel is set in the time of Jesus and while it draws on serious research, it’s a parody of books that claim to shed light on the historical Jesus. None of Mendoza’s titles are currently in print in the U.S.; the London-based publisher Telegram Books released an English-language edition of No Word from Gurb last fall. Landing at #4, To Know How to Lose by David Trueba centers around the birthday party of a 16-year-old girl.

Six of the top 10 fiction bestsellers in Sweden were new in April, led by We, the Drowned, which landed in the third spot. The novel depicts 100 years of Danish seagoing ventures. The Butterfly in My Brain, at #4, is the final novel from Swedish writer and journalist Anders Paulrud, who died in January. The highest debut in France was I Will Come and Get You by Guillaume Musso, whose first book, And Then, has been made into the film Afterwards, which will be released in France and Canada later this year. Musso has not been published in the U.S.

Books on how to stay fit were the new top sellers in France (46 to 38) and Sweden (Exercise 15 Minutes a Day with Paolo Roberto; the author is a former boxer).