This is a well written/translated book about a father's grief stricken, relentless (and some would say obsessive) search for his missing daughter who disappeared from a bus stop three years ago. The story is based in a remote part of northern Sweden, with the isolation adding to the desolation. There aren't any conventional chapters, just short sections which alternate between Lelle's night time searches of long forgotten areas off of the Silver Road, and teenager Meja's arrival in the area and her subsequent experiences.
Lelle's guilt about being the last person to see Lina alive, and how he copes - by searching endlessly during the long Summer daylight, by neglecting himself, by latching on to any clue he finds and doggedly pursuing it - is palpable and utterly believable.
Meja's dysfunctional existence and relationship with her mother is also believable, and has you hoping for her to find a way to something better.
The short sections make the book quick and easy to read. I guessed the ending quite early on, but was happy to continue to the end.
It is quite a bleak but vividly painted story, I could visualise everything from the descriptions provided.
Oh, and the cover is quite beautiful too - dark with just the shiny silver glint of the road. It would definitely catch your eye in a shop.
Lelle's guilt about being the last person to see Lina alive, and how he copes - by searching endlessly during the long Summer daylight, by neglecting himself, by latching on to any clue he finds and doggedly pursuing it - is palpable and utterly believable.
Meja's dysfunctional existence and relationship with her mother is also believable, and has you hoping for her to find a way to something better.
The short sections make the book quick and easy to read. I guessed the ending quite early on, but was happy to continue to the end.
It is quite a bleak but vividly painted story, I could visualise everything from the descriptions provided.
Oh, and the cover is quite beautiful too - dark with just the shiny silver glint of the road. It would definitely catch your eye in a shop.