![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() In particular, I found many of the novel’s characters sensitively drawn, and their relationships described with a keen eye for psychological detail. Well-written and gripping, and with a multi-layered, uncompromising ending, Shadow is in many respects a highly enjoyable read. So far so good: a literary puzzle that leads the reader into the dark heart of a family’s story – as well as that of a traumatised Holocaust survivor – and expertly keeps us wanting to know more. When 92-year-old Gerda Persson dies alone, estate administrator Marianne Folkesson visits her flat to glean the details of her life, and finds the freezer packed with signed copies of books by prize-winning author Axel Ragnerfeld. What on earth could have led Gerda to put them there? And what connection might they have to a young boy who was abandoned in an amusement park back in 1975? Karin Alvtegen’s Shadow immediately caught my eye with its rather intriguing opening. Opening sentence: The key to the flat had arrived in a padded envelope from the police. ![]() A gripping psychological thriller, but one which tips over into melodrama at times 4 stars Karin Alvtegen, Shadow, translated from the Swedish by McKinley Burnett (London: Canongate 2009 ). ![]()
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