Cecilia Ekbäck

I can't make up my mind about this. As an evocation of life in an isolated 18th century community of far-flung homesteads in northern Sweden it's quite wonderful. The sheer drudgery of keeping alive in the long dark days of winter; the isolation; the fear of beasts and evil spirits: in fact the pervasiveness and absolute acceptance of a spirit world was involvingly brought to life.

Maija, her husband Paavo, her daughters Frederika and Dorotea move into this world from a coastal community. Their battle to survive in a very different life is coloured when they come across a man's body, ripped asunder by ..... well, actually, it must have been by man, not an animal of. This book then is a murder mystery.

Whilst I continued to relish the description of such an alien life, I began to find the mystery and the people involved in it increasingly hard to untangle. Maija and her family, and the community's priest are richly sketched (I wrote 'painted', but this word suggests colours that form no part of this bleak world) . I found it hard to get into the mindset of utterly believing in the overwhelming presence of a spirit life.

I read on, and I read on willingly, because I relished the descriptions. I didn't really mind that the story to some extent passed me by. Four stars or three? Three for story, up to 5 for evocative language.… (lisätietoja)

The author does a wonderful job of creating atmosphere. The story takes place in the deep dark coldest winter in memory (a wolf winter) in Swedish Lapland in 1717. I was surprised not to see huge snow drifts outside when I stopped reading. The book is also very creepy and suspenseful.There is a murder mystery as part of the plot. The pacing is very slow, so if you aren't a patient reader this book is not for you. There is some information in the back of the book in the Author's Note which I recommend reading first, unless you are very well versed in the politics and religion of Scandinavia in the 1700s.… (lisätietoja)

Dual review with Swedish first and then English!

SWEDISH REVIEW

Midnattssolens timme innehåller alla de element som jag verkligen gillar i en bok. Jag är oerhört förtjust i att läsa historiska spänningsromaner och den samiska kulturen har i flera år fascinerat mig. Jag har inte läst Cecilia Ekbäcks tidigare roman I varjavinterns land, en den ligger högt på listan på böcker jag vill läsa.

Magnus Stille är svärson till justitieministern i Sverige. Magnus skickas upp till Svartåsen i Lappland för att kartlägga området. Men han är egentligen där för att undersöka omständigheterna till mordet på en tre män som brutalt mördades av en same. Med på resan är också Magnus svägerska Lovisa som har tvingats av sin far att resa med då hennes beteende inte passar in hur en kvinna ska bete sig på den tiden. I alla fall är det vad hennes far anser. Väl upp i Svartåsen så märker de att något inte står rätt till, det vilar ett mörker över det lilla samhället uppe i Svartåsen...

Jag fann boken oerhört fascinerande att läsa, förutom den spännande historien ger boken en insyn i svenskarnas behandling av samer, hur de skulle kristnas och hur marken togs ifrån de, Ekbäck berättat skickligt i denna bok hur samerna har behandlats. Hur de klassas som andra sortens människor, som om de pga av utseendet och sättet de lever på är dummare. Tyvärr det denna rasism inte något som har försvunnit i nutid. Boken är oerhört intressant och då jag älskar när berättelser har en övernaturlig udd så fann jag denna bok speciellt intressant då gränsen mellan verklighet och det övernaturliga mellan varven suddas ut.

I Midnsattsolens timme är en fantastisk bok, en av den bästa historiska spänningsromaner jag har läst. Förutom det mystiska fallet med de döda männen så tycker jag att Ekbäcks beskrivning av kvinnors liv på 1800-talet i Sverige är fascinerande att läsa om. Magnus svägerska Lovisa kan inte som sin mor och syster anpassa sig och för henne blir det då antingen klostret eller dårhuset, det är upp till Magnus vad hennes öde blir. För det är en mans värld de lever i...

Tack till Wahlströms och Widstrand förlag för recensionsexemplaret!

ENGLISH REVIEW

In the Month of the Midnight Sun contains all the elements that I really like in a book. I am extremely fond of reading historical suspense novels and Sami culture has for years fascinated me. I have not read Cecilia Ekbäcks earlier novel The Wolf Winter. However, it is high on the list of books I want to read.

Magnus Stille is son-in-law to the Minister of Justice in Sweden. Magnus is sent up to Svartåsen (The Black Ridge) in Lapland to survey the area. However, he is really there to investigate the circumstances of the murder of the three men who were brutally murdered by a Sami. On the trip is also Magnus sister-in-law Lovisa who have been forced by her father to travel with Magnus because her behavior does not fit how a woman should behave at the time. At least that's what her father thinks. When they arrive at Svartåsen do they notice that something is not right, there is a darkness over the small village that they are staying at in Svartåsen...

I found the book extremely fascinating to read, in addition to the compelling story does the book also give an insight into the Swedes' treatment of the Sami people, how they were christened and how the land was taken away from them. Ekbäck skillfully tells the reader in this book how the Sami have been treated. How they are classified as different kinds of race and that the appearance and the way they live are dumber. Unfortunately, this kind of racism is not unheard of today. The book is extremely interesting, and I love when stories have a supernatural vibe so I found this book especially interesting because the line between reality and the supernatural is often crossed.

In the Month of the Midnight Sun is an amazing book, one of the best historical suspense novels I have read. Besides the mysterious case of the dead men, do I think Ekbäcks description of women's lives in the 1800s in Sweden was fascinating to read about. Magnus sister-in-law Lovisa cannot like her mother and sister adapt to the life that is expected, and because of that will it either be the cloister or madhouse for her. It is up to Magnus what her fate will be. For it is a man's world they live in...

Thanks to Wahlströms och Widstrand förlag for the review copy!… (lisätietoja)