I appreciated that nothing in this was Hallmark movie-of-the-week material, and as each chapter unfolded I was genuinely surprised at some twists the story contained. Reading details about Sweden, an area completely unknown to me was especially pleasant (if I go I had better learn to like rye bread and herring). They discuss their pasts and help each other move on. Veronika is a modern young woman who befriends her, as she is recovering from her own tragedy. Astrid is an elderly woman, isolated socially and geographically, and is haunted by horrific memories. Two intertwining life stories of completely different people, and the serendipitous connections that unite them. It is a stunning novel, sparse, concisely detailed with no extra fluff. I'm finishing this book today, and I have not fully processed all my reactions to it yet. What may appear as a single dramatic moment is just a link between what was before and what comes after.” Beginnings and ends are fluid, long chains of events where some links seem so insignificant and others so very momentous, while in fact all have the same weight. “I think that perhaps there are no such defining moments at all. The memories of brief incidents occupy almost all time, while years of my life have left no trace.” My life’s memories take up space with no regard to when they happened, or to their actual time-span.
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