From the first few pages we are introduced to Liv Björnlund, a filling station attendant. She lives with her teenage son Simon and her father Vidar in Ödesmark. They live in a rundown hilltop house built by Vidar years ago. 3 generations of the same family living under the same roof and knowing each other’s every move.
To say that they are a bit of an odd family would be an understatement and this doesn’t go unnoticed by the locals from the town. Vidar is not well liked and considered a hoarder of wealth. Despite being perceived as wealthy he makes his family live like they are on the poverty line. The family are gossiped about and subject to many rumours. When a decision is taken by one local not only does it have repercussions for the Björnlund but the locals and everyone that surround them
It was hard not to feel sorry for Liv who is living under Vidar’s thumb. She longs to leave the house and escape Vidar’s controlling behaviour but just can’t seem to take that first step. She is a grown woman who has no freedom and her every movement is policed by her father. Essentially she lives a claustrophobic life and this comes across clearly in the story and the writing.
The book flits between past and present. In the present we have Liv and her family and in the past we are told another story of unnamed characters. Initially I didn’t know how the story ad characters fitted together but by the end it became clear how all the characters were connected and why.
I am always intrigued by books written in another language that have been translated. I enjoyed this book so much that I wish I could also read it in its original Swedish form.
This was a tense, atmospheric and gripping read which had me guessing from the very beginning as to how the story would pan out, with an ending that shocked me that I wasn’t expecting.
To say that they are a bit of an odd family would be an understatement and this doesn’t go unnoticed by the locals from the town. Vidar is not well liked and considered a hoarder of wealth. Despite being perceived as wealthy he makes his family live like they are on the poverty line. The family are gossiped about and subject to many rumours. When a decision is taken by one local not only does it have repercussions for the Björnlund but the locals and everyone that surround them
It was hard not to feel sorry for Liv who is living under Vidar’s thumb. She longs to leave the house and escape Vidar’s controlling behaviour but just can’t seem to take that first step. She is a grown woman who has no freedom and her every movement is policed by her father. Essentially she lives a claustrophobic life and this comes across clearly in the story and the writing.
The book flits between past and present. In the present we have Liv and her family and in the past we are told another story of unnamed characters. Initially I didn’t know how the story ad characters fitted together but by the end it became clear how all the characters were connected and why.
I am always intrigued by books written in another language that have been translated. I enjoyed this book so much that I wish I could also read it in its original Swedish form.
This was a tense, atmospheric and gripping read which had me guessing from the very beginning as to how the story would pan out, with an ending that shocked me that I wasn’t expecting.