Astried and Veonika 阿斯特丽德与维罗妮卡 9780143038078

BookDe*ionWithextraordinaryemotionalpower,Olsson'sstunninglywell-crafteddebutnovelrecountstheunusualandunexpectedfriendshipthatdevelopsbetweentwowomen.SetagainstahauntingSwedishlandscape,thisisalyricalandmeditativenovelofloveandloss.FromPublishersWeeklyInSwedishnovelistOlsson'ssomberdebut,VeronikaBergmanreturnstoSwedenafterachildhoodfollowingherdiplomatfatheraroundtheworld(hermotherabandonedthefamily),andafterpublishingherfirstnoveltitledSingle,OneWay,NoLuggage.Sherentsasmallhouseinaruraltowntoworkonhersecond,butinsolitudefindsherselfseizedbyfeverishdreamsandparalyzedbythe"stillness"ofthelandscapeandthememoriesofherrecentlydeadfiancé.ReclusiveseptuagenarianAstridMattson,thoughtbythevillagetobeawitch,takesaninterestinVeronika,andthetwostrikeupafriendshipbasedonloss.Againstthebackdropofthechangingseasonsandtheirsmall,plangenthouses,thetwowomenslowlytelleachothertheirmostcloselyguardedsecrets(whichconcerntheirmothersandlovers),andventure,tentatively,outofthesafetyoftheirroutines.Olssonhasaclearfeelfortheemotionalwellspringsofbothcharacters,butcan'tconvertherterselyricismintoafullyrealizedstory.(Mar.)FromBooklistVeronika,a30-year-oldSwedishwriter,rentsahomeinaremotevillagetofinishworkonhersecondnovel.HeronlyneighborformilesisAstrid,areclusiveoctogenarianwhohasearnedareputation(perhapsundeserved)asthevillagewitch.VeronikaandAstridgraduallybecomefriends,takinglongwalksandsippingwinemadefromthewildstrawberriesinAstrid'sgarden.Eachsharespainfulsecretsalongtheway.VeronikaabandonedadevotedboyfriendtotakeupwithabartenderfromNewZealand.Theyfellpassionatelyinlove,thentragedybefellhim,leavingVeronikaincapacitatedbygrief.Astridenduredsexualabusefromherfatherandalonglovelessmarriagetoamanchosenbyhim.Untilnow,shehasnevertoldanyonethetruthaboutherinfantdaughter'sdeath.ThisisthefirstnovelforOlsson,anativeofStockholmwhonowlivesinNewZealand.Thoughthepaceofhernarrativelagsattimes,readersofAnneTylerandJodiPicoultwillappreciatethelyricalproseandexpertrenderingofthethemesofheartbreakandloss.AllisonBlockBookDimensionlength:(cm)19.7width:(cm)13.4