Kerstin Ekman provides Swedish literary nourishment

I read Ekman's Blackwater after reading The Dog - a beautifully written story of a puppy lost in the woods and struggling to survive. The seemingly simple tale offers a more complex exploration of trust and friendship and the relationship between man and dog. I enjoyed her writing style so much that I looked for more of her books and ordered Blackwater via inter-library-loan through Camden library - and I was glad I did. I haven't enjoyed a book this much in a long time.

Blackwater is a literary thriller set in the far northern forests of Sweden. The story spans 20 years and centres around Annie Raft and her involvment in an unsolved double murder of two tourists on midsummer's eve in 1974. The description of the long-lit midsummer nights create an eerie atmosphere and the complex, intricately woven plot and realistic and interesting characters drew me right in and I couldn't put it down and didn't want it to end. It was, for me, one of those books that reminds us why we love reading.


I found this review in an unpublished archive and thought it was worth sharing. We still have The Dog and it sounds very enjoyable - Wendy