JOHAN: A novella

by Lola Akinmade Åkerström

WINNER - LITERARY TITAN GOLD BOOK AWARD

For fans of IN EVERY MIRROR SHE’S BLACK and EVERYTHING IS NOT ENOUGH, you asked for Jonny’s view. Now you have it.

We can’t control the privilege we’re born into, but we can control how we use it.

All Johan wants to feel is understood.

Not fawned over. Not treated fragilely. Simply understood. Heir to the Von Lundin empire, their golden boy Johan is as visible as he is invisible for many reasons his family would rather gloss over.

When he starts at Vauxhall Boarding School for the elite in the UK as part of “The Sweet Swedes” duo alongside his best friend Ragnar Pettersen, Johan starts to find his footing. But a chance meeting with Jamaican Brit Maya Daniels sets him on a lifelong chase for the one thing he can never fully have.

Is Johan a man spiralling out of control or a man finally falling comfortably into his own skin?

Spanning three decades, this coming-of-age story dives into the desires, deeds, and dark mind of one of the most controversial characters in Lola’s gripping book series - Johan “Jonny” von Lundin.


[ EDITORIAL REVIEW ]
★★★★★
"Sharp and immersive... There's a precision to the language that makes his world vivid...It felt like being invited into someone's private darkness...For readers who crave complexity and aren't afraid of messy characters who make you squirm. If you liked In Every Mirror She's Black, you'll appreciate how this novel expands that universe, offering Johan's point of view in all its raw, often disturbing honesty." - Literary Titan

[ READER REACTIONS TO JOHAN ]

"Your writing and storytelling continues to captivate me."

"The fact you wrote this in a week blows my mind!"

"I am once again captivated by your storytelling, Lola. Seriously, what do you put into your books?! I swear it's like a drug."

"You seriously have a writing superpower."

"Johan is unsettling — Johan makes me think. At times I feel almost sick while reading, yet I’m utterly captivated — I read the entire book in a single sitting. Disturbing and gripping at the same time, it’s a brilliant spin-off."

"Such an interesting read! You have a way with words that transfixes your reader. Highly recommend JOHAN to everyone who’s a lover of pure contemporary fiction."


[ PRAISE FOR LOLÁ ÁKÍNMÁDÉ ]

'Lolá Ákínmádé crafts sharply written and deeply moving characters, raising brutal questions and steering clear of easy answers.' Taylor Jenkins Reid

'The queen of messy characters!' Onyi Nwabineli

'Ákínmádé is a master at shading the gaps between power and love.' Chika Unigwe

158 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 15, 2025

About the author

Award-winning Nigerian-American visual storyteller and international bestselling author based in Stockholm, Sweden.

Reviews

[Lola Akinmade Åkerström · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’ve enjoyed both In Every Mirror She's Black and Everything Is Not Enough, and their exploration of race, class, and emotional complexity through strong, flawed protagonists in Sweden, JOHAN is a promising new layer to that universe. As requested by many readers, it flips the lens to the male perspective—revealing the hidden shadow of privilege and internal conflict behind this very enigmatic character.

[Catherine Mukora · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read ‘In Every Mirror She’s Black’ and Everything is Not Enough’ I wanted to get a lot more context on Jonny. His backstory, the way he processes things and feelings from his perspective, his upbringing and so on.
I am so so glad Lola decided to write this so I and many reader who were so compelled by this character could get that.
Jonny is so multi-faceted! At the end of IEMSB, I finished the book quite literally scared of him, it took me getting more insight into him in EINE for me to get curiously optimistic about him again. His arc throughout these three books is so amazingly put together. I can’t help wonder where he would have ended up if his family had honoured him with honesty and acknowledgement of his quirks and issues. If he’d actually gotten more help for his issues. For all of his faults, at least Ragnar understood him & told him the truth at all times.
I think because of how much of a pedestal Johnny had put the memory of Maya, I was so sad to learn that it wasn’t that lovely a relationship after all. That she was more than anything else leading him on. It is absolutely horrible what his parents did to her though.
When Brittany said at the end of EINE that perhaps she was meant to meet Jonny so she could save him from his past & his family in a sense, it really was true. He would have continued living a very empty existence were it not for her.
That’s three 5 stars from Lola Ákínmádé! What a rockstar of writer👌🏽

[Rovie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Character driven and delightful

I have to admit, I picked up JOHAN expecting a simple coming-of-age tale, but Lọlá Ákínmádé swept me into a world of gilded privilege, awkward teenage angst, and the messiness of loving with your whole heart and loving at the wrong time. Johan, aka Jonny, is at once infuriating and endearing—a golden boy who collects snails as a child and, as an adult, collects heartbreak like rare stamps. His journey through elite boarding schools, complicated friendships (Ragnar, you wild thing!), and that all-consuming love for Maya had me rooting for him, even when he made me cringe. But then, there are the psychological underpinnings that ground the narrative. The author offers a genuinely flawed protagonist, a character growing up with an intense longing to be understood, a stigma that follows his life, and that, perhaps, underlay his mishaps. The pathos is exacting, to say the least.

[Onyeka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Readers should read & writers should write. Sadly, this is a product of blurred lines; when readers demand more from a writer than their imaginations can comprehend.

Fans of ‘In Every Mirror She’s Black’ (IEMSB) would’ve felt robbed with the sequel, ‘Everything is not enough’ as it completed gaps, and rounded edges that weren’t necessary. Sadly, the same goes for this. A novella prequel, examining the psyche of Johan von Lundin aka Jonny. What we excused and understood as the cruel world happening to a privileged, young white Swede with learning disabilities in IEMSB, eerily transforms into a psychological thriller about premeditation, jungle fever, and obsession. Whatever empathy you once had for him evaporates, and readers are robbed of the full experience of humanity which asks of us what we often cannot fulfil or comprehend.

Word to the wise: stay away. You’re better off using your imagination.

[Dick Hellman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Johan is unsettling — predictable in the sense that he seems driven by a mix of Napoleon complex and high-functioning autism, or something along those lines. Raised in a family with unlimited resources, he lives in a reality most people will never even brush against.

Is his love for Maya so intense that everything he seeks in life is merely a substitute for her, or is he deeply entrenched in a fetish? Where is that line drawn?

Johan makes me think. At times I feel almost sick while reading, yet I’m utterly captivated — I read the entire book in a single sitting. Disturbing and gripping at the same time, it’s a brilliant spin-off to the trilogy that begins with In Every Mirror She’s Black.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jonny is a very complex character that for some reason has my heart. He’s clearly flawed but I can’t help but empathize with him. After reading In Every Mirror She’s Black and Everything is Not Enough, I still wanted to see more of his character and that’s exactly what Lola delivered in this novella.

Here, we see a bit more of his relationship with his family and Ragnar. And yes, I dislike Ragnar even more now (which I didn’t even know was possible). One thing I’ll never stop raving about is Lola’s ability to create complex characters that you can’t help but be drawn to. Regardless of how much I disliked Ragnar as a person it was interesting to see some of his back story as well.

I definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a quick read. You don’t need to have read the other books before reading this, but it definitely helps.

[Mikia | SeeWhatKeeReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bruh!!!! Poor Jonny!!!! Like, I get it more now. Glad we got his back story!!!

[Book Reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The novel follows Johan von Lundin, heir to a powerful Swedish dynasty, as he grows from a lonely, misunderstood boy into a complicated man whose desires often blur the lines between love, obsession, and control. Spanning decades, the story shows his struggles with privilege, identity, and intimacy, all while he chases Maya Daniels, the Jamaican-British girl who becomes both his anchor and undoing. It’s a portrait of a character both magnetic and unsettling, someone who wants nothing more than to be understood but rarely knows how to bridge the gap between his yearning and the world’s perception of him.

I found myself torn while reading this book. On one hand, the writing is sharp and immersive. The scenes have a way of pulling you in, whether Johan is crushing snails as a boy or running through the streets of London in pursuit of Maya. There’s a precision to the language that makes his world vivid. Yet at the same time, Johan’s mind is not an easy place to sit with. His intensity, his awkward silences, his fixation on control, it made me uncomfortable, but in that way where you can’t look away. It felt like being invited into someone’s private darkness, and part of me didn’t want to stay, but I did anyway.

What struck me most was the way the book makes you feel complicit. I kept questioning myself as I read. Why was I rooting for him in some moments when I knew his choices were troubling? Why did I feel a pang of sympathy for someone who could be manipulative and obsessive? That tension is the book’s strength. It doesn’t give you clean lines between love and possession, between care and harm. The book left me unsettled, even jittery, because it refused to give me the relief of easy answers.

I think this is a book for readers who crave complexity and aren’t afraid of messy characters who make you squirm. If you liked In Every Mirror She’s Black, you’ll appreciate how this novel expands that universe, offering Johan’s point of view in all its raw, often disturbing honesty.

[N E E K S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains spoilers for ‘Everything is not enough’ as I reflect.

I was like 👁️👁️ for the whole story
These man are crazzzyyyy
Now reading this made me realise Brittany and Kemi didn’t stand a chance. Learning Yagiz was also selling cocaine as well, puts a lot into perspective for the end of ‘Everything is not enough.’
Ákínmádé is a brilliant author, she knows how to pull you into this world of messssss. To me, Jonny and Ragnar didn’t have a good arc, in the sense that I can’t think of one reason why I should give them the benefit of the doubt. They both need serious help. But what’s revealing is to see the knock on effects, of parenting styles, dark side of riches etc. The only way to win at their life is to be exactly who your parents want you to be. They are examples of wealthy in money but not character. Jonny playing with his daughter at the end of ‘Everything is not enough’ is probably the only time the reader breathes with Jonny as he relaxes and is free. The mess is him and the freedom he finds eventually is him too but the mess is dark. Maya was really not his to have, they were just teenagers, it should never be that deep. But of course we understand why it got deep. If he did have help for his neurodivergence earlier maybe things would have been different because he really did mess up a lot of women. To be fair Jonny never had good influences i.e., Ragnar. It’s interesting that he says to Kemi in ‘Everything is not enough’ that he trusts Ragnar, we see why, it’s not really trust it’s codependency.
My next stop is to read ‘Bitter Honey’ then I’ll be up to date with the releases in this universe.
I hope there will be a third Novel following ‘Everything is not enough’ just to see a refreshing side of everyone’s story (with a sprinkle of mess I guess, why not 😂).

[Muhsinat 'Deen · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Lola cooks, we eat.

If you’ve read ‘In every mirror she’s black’ and/or ‘Everything is not enough’ (EINE), you’ll be familiar with quirky Johan and his obsession with black ladies. In those books, though, we don’t get a full picture of who he really is. That’s what Lola gives us with this novella - a deeper look into different stages of Johan’s life with Ragner by his side.
We see what his relationship with Maya was like and its complexities. We are privy to the genesis of his fetishisation, and how much of it stems from his understanding of the world.

Although Johan is a complicated character, I couldn’t help but sympathise with him. His family had the means to get the support he needed growing up, but their idea of a perfect son trumped that. After reading this, I lowkey wished his story had ended differently in EINE.

The writing is seamless and the story beautifully woven. The only thing I would’ve loved to see is family’s or especially his mother’s initial reaction to the realisation that something was amiss with him.

This was a thought-provoking and emotional read. Definitely worth reading.

PS: Ragner has always been a mad man🫠

Themes: sexism, racism, fetishisation, classism, mental health, neurodivergence

[Divina Zape · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like your literary drama with a side of Swedish royalty and a protagonist you will want to love in spite of his flaws, then JOHAN is the novella for you. Reading Johan’s story felt like watching my friend make questionable life choices at a party—you want to intervene, but you also kind of want to see what happens next. Ákínmádé’s writing is gorgeous, infused with humor—at times grim—and the narrative voice has a life of its own. The narrative never lets Johan off the hook for his obliviousness but also refuses to turn him into a villain. The banter between Johan and his best friend Ragnar (team chaos!) and the romantic tension with Maya, whose patience should probably earn her sainthood, were particularly enjoyable. Despite the heavy themes, the book sparkles with wit and heart. By the end, I found myself simultaneously rooting for Johan to overcome his own obstacles and hoping he would continue to be a bit of a mess. Five snails out of five!

[Christian Sia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew this novella would be a treat from the moment six-year-old Johan started collecting (and, um, squishing) snails. JOHAN is a wild ride through the often hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, always awkward life of a Swedish heir who wants to be understood. Lola Ákínmádé’s writing is both biting and warm, and she’s got a real flair for capturing the absurdities of privilege—fancy boarding schools! Private jets! The world’s most awkward family breakfasts! But what really got me was Johan himself: prickly, prone to obsession, hopelessly earnest, and so, so bad at parties. Maya, the girl he can never quite win, provides the bittersweet touch to the story. Sure, the story goes to some dark places, but there’s always a ray of humor to keep you afloat. I laughed, I cringed, I cheered, and I may have developed a sudden craving for lingonberry juice.

[Anitta · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started reading this, I didn’t think I’d empathize with Jonny..
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and I got the full picture of how Jonny is the way he is, but also the fact that he is stuck in the past chasing after a ghost made me really sad for him.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This is perfect if you’ve read In Every Mirror She’s Black and Everything Is Not Enough. I you haven’t read those yet bread this one first. All three books are great reads!

[Ashata · Rating 3 out of 5]

This prequel to “In Every Mirror She’s Black” was an inside look to Johan’s lore of where his obsession with black women began. Quick little read. A lot of dot connecting!