While Time Thinks of Something Else (1992, 2015)

Each summer, Axel spends a few weeks with his grandparents at a guest house in southern Sweden. There, days are filled with apple trees and wasps, forest walks, afternoon coffee in the arbor, and swimming classes down at the lake.

But one summer, Axel’s grandfather loses his mind. He forgets and fantasizes: one moment a confused old man and the next a playing child. The others think he’s just gotten old, but Axel knows his grandfather has gotten stuck in a crazy time machine.

But why must grandfather forget everything? And what has Axel himself forgotten? And what must grandfather make sure to do while time thinks of something else?

While Time Thinks of Something Else is a counterpart to the beloved The Moon Knows Not. The novel is an unforgettable depiction of childhood full of humor and melancholy – all illuminated by the clear light of Swedish summer. It was awarded the August Prize for Best Novel of the Year.