When mom has drunk wine, she doesn't cook.

by Sara Lind

Cardboard - 144 pages

Joel is considering drastic solutions to help his mother. He is convinced that he is the cause of her alcohol abuse. He wants his mother to be like other mothers, who don't drink themselves to death. Joel carries a constant lump of worry in his stomach. The worry about not knowing whether his mother is sober or not, the worry when his mother is not sober and he doesn't know what will happen.

But Joel is not alone. When mom is not enough, there are others who care. Joel also finds support and comfort in nature.

"It is a finely tuned book about a child's fears, abandonment and vulnerability. It tells the story of Joel and his difficult situation in a naked yet loving way. A thread of warmth, care and, not least, hope runs through the entire book. "You can cry," says one of the children. The book is very touching.

"I can't let go of Joel even when the book is over. He grabs something inside me, pushes me and encourages me to be brave enough to feel what I feel and dare to express it."

Little Anderson
Energy therapist

Press info:

Review from Library Service:

Published in BTJ booklet no. 19, 2015

Lecturer Ulla Britt Westelius

"The text is easily accessible, short sentences and lines with frequently recognizable everyday dialogue. Following Joel and reading about his experiences can be the beginning of help for a child in a similar situation, perhaps as a kind of identification and support. When Mom Drinks Wine She Doesn't Cook can be read on your own, but it is also suitable to be worked on in a group with a creative and positive leader after reading. Suggestions "to talk about" for each chapter are presented here based on what Joel has just experienced, felt and been comforted by. Or the book can appeal to an adult reader who, alone or in a group, recognizes themselves and thinks: Am I like Joel's mother?"

Excerpt from the book "When Mom Has Drunk She Doesn't Cook":

Chapter 1

Those of you who have read the book about Amandus have already heard of Joel. Joel is a little boy who has just turned seven and is in first grade. Joel and Amandus met in kindergarten and have been best friends ever since. Joel lives with his mother and father. He also has an older sister, who is seventeen and is named Johanna. But she does not live with them.

Joel and Johanna are half-siblings. That's what it's called when you don't have the same mother and father. Joel and Johanna have the same mother but not the same father. Johanna lives with her father. Joel thinks that's quite sad because it almost doesn't feel like they're siblings.

Joel has a secret friend too. It's a friend that only he knows about and who is the same age as him. He lives in a tree. Joel can hear him whisper: "Joel, Joel." It sounds like the wind blowing. Joel calls him the Boy in the Tree. He can see the tree from the window in his room. When he is sad, he thinks he is following the Boy into the tree. Then he is also invisible. Then he almost doesn't hear when mom screams and dad gets angry. If he holds his hands over his ears, it is easier to become invisible.

When things like this happen, Ludde usually comes and sits close to Joel. Ludde is a dog. He is brown and has soft, curly fur. He is not a special breed because he has several different breeds in him. Dad says he has a poodle in him. If you mix different breeds, you get a new breed. Ludde is a new breed. A breed of his own. When Joel and Ludde play and run in the garden, their ears flutter and stand straight up. Joel thinks he is the nicest and kindest dog there is.