Art expert Emma Lindahl is anxious when she’s asked to appraise the antiques and artefacts in the infamous manor house of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families, on the island of Storholmen, where a young woman was murdered nine years earlier, her killer never found.
Emma must work alone, and the Gussman family apparently avoiding her, she sees virtually no one in the house. Do they have something to hide?
As she goes about her painstaking work and one shocking discovery yields clues that lead to another, Emma becomes determined to uncover the secrets of the house and its occupants.
When the lifeless body of another young woman is found in the icy waters surrounding the island, Detective Karl Rosén arrives to investigate, and memories his failure to solve the first case come rushing back. Could this young woman’s tragic death somehow hold the key?
Battling her own demons, Emma joins forces with Karl to embark upon a chilling investigation, plunging them into horrifying secrets from the past – Viking rites and tainted love – and Scandinavia’s deepest, darkest winter…
I'm delighted to be sharing my review of Yule Island today. Many thanks to Karen Sullivan from Orenda Books for my advance copy of the novel.
I have loved Johana Gustawsson's books since I read her debut, Block 46 back in 2017. Her plots are invariably dark and disturbing but she writes with such empathy and her beautifully descriptive, compelling narratives are always a joy to read, even at their most unnerving. Yule Island sees her returning to a more contemporary period, following her superb historical novel, The Bleeding but it is infused with Scandinavia's macabre folklore and is a bewitchingly irresistible read from start to finish.
The car-free island of Storholmen is only a short distance from mainland Sweden and yet there's an unsettling feeling of isolation to the place and although the caution given to Emma Lindahl that she better not be afraid of ghosts is expressed in a jovial manner, the opening to the book has already revealed that this place has a tragic past. The storyline switches between three characters, Emma, Karl and Viktoria; the first chapter is set in 2012 and finds Detective Karl Rosen called to a grisly crime scene on Storholmen. Nine years later, Emma is brought to the island, now notoriously associated with the unsolved murder of the 'hanging girl'. She is headed to the manor house where the teenage girl was found but while scores of ghoulish tourists have visited the site since, Emma arrives as an art expert, asked to appraise the antiques belonging to the Gussman family who own the house. The chapters told from Viktoria's perspective are interspersed throughout the main narrative and reveal some of the strange goings-on in the house. It's obvious that this is a troubled household but although tempers become frayed on occasion, the next body found is actually discovered in the icy sea surrounding Storholmen.
As Karl is called upon to once again investigate the twisted murder of a young woman, Emma begins to uncover unsettling mysteries of her own. Both main characters are still dealing with issues within their own lives and as their paths cross, the recent past and more ancient beliefs meld together into an investigation which becomes increasingly shocking with each new revelation. The characterisation is excellent throughout Yule Island and the intense relationships which develop as the novel progresses are imbued with a sense of authenticity which persists even during the most startling moments.
The folkloric elements provide a sinister backdrop to the contemporary mystery and as Emma follows the clues which she is certain will reveal some of the manor house's secrets, the eventual truth is horrifically congruent to some of the gruesome traditions of the old times.
The atmospheric sense of place is exceptional and Johana Gustawsson's richly evocative writing brings the island and its secrets vividly to life. There are numerous shocks which utterly blindsided me at times but as much as this is a compulsively twisted murder mystery, it's also a poignant tale of obsession and loss. As the various strands of this exquisitely structured plot are drawn together, the storyline is as emotive as it is chilling. David Warriner's seamless translation shouldn't go unmentioned and as always I'm immensely grateful to the work of translators, without whom I wouldn't have the pleasure of reading outstanding books such as this. Yule Island is possibly Johana Gustawsson's best to date; an intelligent, intricate gothic thriller which left me breathless and moved – I cannot recommend highly enough.
Yule Island is published by Orenda Books and is available to buy on their website. Further purchasing options can be found here or order from your favourite independent bookseller.
About the Author
.jpeg)
About the Translator
Comments
Post a Comment