Wencke Mühleisen is a gender studies scholar, performance artist, and author who is a well-known figure in Norway, but despite several acclaimed books in her home country, 'Allt jag fruktar har redan hänt' is the first to be published in Swedish. The novel is essentially a story about a fresh start, where the protagonist has just been left by her husband and turns to the digital dating market, creating a new account on Tinder while Oslo is closed due to the pandemic. The reader follows the protagonist from the first nervous chat to tentative dates and failures, with Mühleisen tenderly portraying her heroine's view of men, including how she tries to imagine their bodies pressed against hers.
The strength of the portrayal is its unvarnished, skin-close perspective that never shies away from desire, and as a reader, you burn for the present that this powerhouse lives in, making it hard to imagine a more inspiring role model than this broken woman, who so boldly holds on to the dream of one more kiss, one more night of love, one more man. However, the many digressions into the woman's life history, including a dark upbringing that is only hinted at, could have been fewer. If you have a friend who is newly divorced, buy 'Allt jag fruktar har redan hänt' as a gift immediately.
It is as if everything I fear has already happened. That I have lost everything. That I am completely alone and free.
According to Borås Tidning, the novel's protagonist described feeling as if everything she fears has already happened, leaving her alone and free. The novel's portrayal of digital dating through Tinder reflects broader cultural experiences, though specific events from the protagonist's dark upbringing remain unclear, and it is unknown what critical reception or sales figures the Swedish edition has received, how Mühleisen's background as a gender studies scholar influences the narrative perspective, or if there are plans for translations of her other acclaimed books.