Shadow

Karin Alvtegen

Average Rating 9/10 ( Review)

Gerda Persson has lain dead for three days. Her life seems to have been quite ordinary. Until the freezer in her home is opened. It is full of books, neatly stacked and wrapped in clingfilm, a thick layer of ice covering them - all by the same prize-winning author, all with handwritten dedications to Gerda. What story do these books have to tell? And what is their connection to a young boy found abandoned in an amusement park?

'Alvtegen's chilling novels are head and shoulders above most of the Scandi crew and... remind one forcefully of the early Barbara Vine novels ... Shadow won't make you feel good about humankind, but it will keep you reading under the duvet during the small hours.'

Review by Jessica (300410) Rating (9/10)

Review by Jessica
Rating 9/10
Who can resist a novel which begins when a bewildered little boy is discovered abandoned, sitting on steps with a note pinned on him saying "take care of this child"? There he was on the front cover and of course I was hooked. This novel is about so much more than this and I couldn’t wait to get started.

Axel Ragnerfeldt, a celebrated author, is confined to his bed unable to communicate or move except by a slight movement of his little finger. His past life continually drifts through his thoughts as his frustration grows. His son Jan-Erik now married to Louise is facing problems of his own.
Axel’s wife Alice, an attention seeking old lady, never quite believing the hospital tests are negative. She also relives her past life and feels she is living in an illusion of a marriage. She is unable to work out exactly why she has to attend the funeral of a certain Gerda Person. Who was this woman and what part does she play in the plot ? All is made clear at the end of this unusual but brilliant novel. To find you are a beneficiary in someone’s will is a shock especially when you don’t know that person. Kristoffer wonders and wonders.

Everyone has problems in this cleverly crafted novel and surprises come around every corner. Secrets are disclosed that should have stayed where they were. Every family has secrets, some more then others but rarely is it good if these secrets are revealed. People who you thought you know well appear like strangers and often we wonder how we manage to be really related to these people - and maybe we aren’t.

The story depicts the depths which a human being will sink to in order to protect their own. The unexpected does happen and stops you in your tracks. You won’t be able to put this book down. It is totally unforgettable.
Jessica (30th April 2010)