Un point d’interrogation est un demi-cœur

by Sofia Lundberg

Elin connaît un succès immense comme photographe de mode à New York. Elle vit seule avec son mari dans un superbe loft à terrasse panoramique depuis que leur fille a commencé l’université. Aux yeux de sa famille, elle consacre trop d’heures à son métier, mais Elin est passionnée et trouve ainsi son bonheur.

C’est alors qu’une lettre venue de Suède, son pays d’origine qu’elle a laissé derrière elle depuis fort longtemps, va la foudroyer. En quelques mots, elle replonge dans un terrible secret enfoui depuis l’enfance. Un secret qui la fait culpabiliser depuis des années.

Entre Manhattan aujourd’hui et Gotland dans les années 1970, où Elin vécut des premières années très rudes, se déploie le bouleversant portrait d’une femme qui s’est construite toute seule malgré mille embûches.

Avec une grande finesse, et une habile manière de distiller de l’émotion à chaque page, Sofia Lundberg signe ici un deuxième roman très réussi.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Audiobook, Family, Adult

380 pages, Paperback

First published August 29, 2018

About the author

Sofia Lundberg is a journalist and former magazine editor who made her debut with the word-of-mouth sensation The Red Address Book.
Lauded by critics for her ability to sweep readers off their feet and take them on journeys through time and space, love and loss, Lundberg is the shining new star of heartwarming – and heart-wrenching – Scandinavian fiction.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads (back from hiatus)]

This book is told across two timelines.

There's past-Elin, the eldest child of three struggling with her brothers and her mother to survive.

And there's present-Elin, the seemingly perfect wife and mother who is going through a crisis of sorts.

The past focuses mostly on what it was like to live with nearly nothing.

Elin's mother is stressed beyond belief, the children aren't quite starving but they are getting close. There's frequent verbal outbursts from the mother and the children are hurting from it.

In present-day, Elin's daughter just went off to college and Elin is throwing herself into her work. She's taking photographs every day to all hours of the night and her husband is feeling (understandably) forgotten and left out.

They are trying therapy, but Elin lives in this world where everything is fine.

But what no one knows is that the guilt from the past is pushing Elin forward.

But as the tension in her marriage grows, Elin will very soon be forced to make decision - continue running from her past? Or turn around and confront it?

Whew. So. I was so psyched for this one but it didn't pan out.

I'm not big on depressing contemporaries and this one was no exception.

The way Elin has pulled away from her family and cannot see the pain it causes them frustrated me.

I did understand why she acted like that, but I just wanted to shake her. She works, works, works and acts apathetically towards all things outside of her job.

Which gave off the mood of...well...apathy.

If the main character doesn't care one iota about her husband feeling neglected...it's hard for me (as a reader) to feel the same thing.

Also, the pacing of this book felt reallllllllly slow. Things eventually did end up happening but gosh-dang it took SO long for anything interesting to pop up on paper.

Ultimately, this one wasn't for me.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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[Anca Adriana Rucareanu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un semn de întrebare este o jumătate de inimă este o carte care merge direct în sufletul cititorului. Asta a făcut și cu mine. Sofia Lundberg știe să se joace cu cuvintele, cu trăirile și cu umbrele trecutului. Ca și în cazul romanului „Caietul cu nume pierdute”, roman pe care încă îl port în suflet, trecutul are o strălucire aparte. Prezentul parcă are mereu nevoie de mai mult timp, de mai multă greutate. Dar a fost și acesta un roman de cinci stele, din punctul meu de vedere.

Cărțile care mă fac să plâng sunt mereu cele care îmi rămân în gând multe zile. Și am lăcrimat și la asta. A găsit terenul propice, emoțiile mele sunt într-un carusel zilele astea. Și am uitat de faptul că mai voiam câteva explicații. Am mulțumit pentru ce am citit, mi-am promis mie să nu las timpul să treacă peste deciziile pripite și am pus cartea lângă cealaltă. Le voi lăsa fetelor drept moștenire, drept piatră de hotar pentru vremurile care vor veni. Avem toate trei de învățat din ele, ăsta este un lucru sigur.

[Aleksandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moram priznati da me ova knjiga nije dotakla kao prethodna ove autorice, Crveni adresar. Priča je zanimljiva, ima potencijala, ali je mi je nedostajalo ono nešto što je potrebno da bi mi roman bio odličan.

[Guylou (Two Dogs and a Book) · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚 Hello Book Friends! A QUESTION MARK IS HALF A HEART by Sofia Lundberg was an emotional book about the life of a woman with a guilty secret. Elin has created a perfect life for herself, but she is risking losing it all that her past has surfaced. With the help of her daughter, Elin will face her past head-on to save what is the most precious to her. This book is beautiful, touching, and sad at times. The ending is so perfect. This is the second book I read by this author and it won’t be the last. Her novels are full of complicated characters with stories worth discovering. If you have not read this author yet, please pick up one of her books, you won’t regret it.

#bookstadog #poodles #poodlestagram #poodlesofinstagram #furbabies #dogsofinstagram #bookstagram #dogsandbooks #bookishlife #bookishlove #bookstagrammer #books #booklover #bookish #bookaholic #reading #readersofinstagram #instaread #ilovebooks #bookishcanadians #canadianbookstagram #bookreviewer #bookcommunity #bibliophile #aquestionmarkishalfaheart #sofialundberg #hmh #bookreview

[Stil de scriitor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am crezut ca va fi o lectura mai slaba decat cealalta carte a autoarei, Caietul cu nume pierdute. Dar m-am inselat. Si mi-a placut foarte mult. Se vede ca autoarea atinge o coardă foarte sensibila a sufletului uman si te face sa te gandesti la propria viata. Elin este o curajoasa si o eroina. Cel putin pentru mine este. Alice, fiica ei, este si ea un personaj simpatic. Mi-a placut povestea lui Elin si chiar daca a avut o copilarie grea, cu multe lipsuri, Dumnezeu i-a oferit o sansa la o viata mai buna. Marianne, mama lui Elin, a fost de la inceput un personaj controversat si ramane asa pana aproape de final. Nu imi este clar care e de fapt sentimentul ei pentru fiica sa. Sa fie iubire? Dar mereu s-a ascuns si si-a infranat trairile din cauza vietii grele care a coplesit-o? Cine stie... Cred ca fiecare dintre noi ar trebui sa fim recunoscatori pentru ce avem. Pentru ca unii nu au ce avem noi, fie ca e vorba de mancare buna, confort, o familie iubitoare, un loc de munca bun. Recomand calduros aceasta carte si voi reveni curand cu recenzia completa.

[Cititor Necunoscut · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐
Cartea incepe foarte greoi, chiar enervant pe alocuri, acolo unde planul actiunii este in prezent. Abia dupa jumatatea cartii actiunea incepe sa prinda contur si poti intelege personajele, jocul intre prezent si trecut ramane insa inegal. Trecutul are substanta si stilul povestirii seamana cu cel din Caietul cu nume pierdute, insa prezentul ne arata un personaj principal, Elin, inchistat, enervant, rece si de neinteles, ceea ce o face greu de iubit. Ma bucur ca a doua oara am avut rabdare sa duc romanul pana la capat, la prima incercare am abandonat dupa vreo 60-70 de pagini, desi am ramas curioasa luni de zile in privinta motivului pentru care Elin paraseste Suedia si ajunge in Statele Unite.

[M João (Livros?gosto) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Opinião em:



https://youtu.be/FDHaohzWgb0

[Jessica Haider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Traveling back & forth in place & time, A Question Mark is Half a Heart tells Elin's story. Elin grew up in the 70's & 80's on Gotland, a small Swedish island, where her days were filled with hanging out with her best friend Fredrik and helping out at the small local grocery store. She tried to avoid her mother since her mother was often moody & distant due to money issues. Flash forward to NYC in 2017 where Elin is married with a teenaged daughter and working as a fashion photographer. Elin has kept her past a secret from her family. They don't even know that she is originally from Sweden. Elin has a deep guilt from something in her past in Gotland she has been trying to run from every since. Over the course of the novel Elin faces up to her past as more of it is revealed to us, the reader bit by bit. At times, I found myself frustrated by Elin and her unwillingness to open up to her family. There were so many walls that could have toppled down with just some honest conversations or not being afraid to reach out. I recommend this to fans of literary fiction.

What to listen to while reading...
Heart it Races by Architecture in Helsinki
Take the "A" Train by Duke Ellington
Summertime by Louis Armstrong
This Little Light of Mine by Elizabeth Mitchell
I Know You Know by Esperenza Spalding
Angel of the Morning by Juice Newton
Blame it on Me by George Ezra

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!

[Lavinia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5
Un semn de întrebare este o jumătate de inimă este cartea pe care o am tot într-o jumătate de inimă și clar pusă sub semnul întrebării. Atunci când citești o carte care are acțiunea bazată pe două planuri – trecut și prezent în cazul de față – te aștepți să existe o strânsă legătură între modul în care sunt scrise. Eu nu am mai citit-o pe Sofia Lundberg dar sper din suflet ca stilul ei să nu fie cel folosit în expunerea evenimentelor din prezentul personajului. Pe cât de frumoasă și clară mi s-a părut partea în care evoca trecutul lui Elin, pe atât mi-a displăcut cealaltă parte.

[Deca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kirja nimen ja kannen perusteella luulin lukevani hieman höttöistä chick-litiä. Kuinka väärässä sitä voi olla! Kirja tempasi mukaansa takaumina 70- ja 80-lukujen ruotsalaisesta saaristosta 2010-luvun New Yorkiin. Hieno romaani anteeksiannosta ja sulkeutuneisuudesta. Mitä voi tapahtua, jos et koskaan anna lähimmäisillesi mitään ja sama kertautuu? Jos haluat lukea nopealukuisen, ei liian raskaan, mutta aiheeltaan koskettavan kirjan, niin tartu tähän.

[Maria João (A Biblioteca da João) · Rating 5 out of 5]

9 de 10*

Opinião:
https://abibliotecadajoao.blogspot.co...

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit that it took me a little while to get invested in this book, but in the end it was very worthwhile and it tugged on my heartstrings!

We first get to meet the adult Elin, a prominent photographer who has alienated her husband and daughter by putting work before family and hardly ever being present at home. Despite their twenty-or-so years of marriage, her husband Sam knows very little about Elin’s background, and her brooding silences and odd behaviour at times have driven him to the point of leaving her. Elin’s teenage daughter Alice has also moved out of the family home, and every time they meet up she ends up being frustrated by Elin’s refusal to talk about the past.

The story started to get more emotional for me as the author gradually revealed the details of Elin’s childhood which have brought her to this point in her life, and suddenly I found myself fully engaged and more sympathetic towards the adult Elin. A father in jail, an emotionally unstable mother and a terrible tragedy when Elin is a teenager will have lasting effects on her life. From here on, the book became a touching story of family secrets, guilt and finally redemption. It also showed how we can run from our past, but never escape it until we have made peace with it.

Set in small town Sweden in the 1970s and present day New York, I also felt Elin’s displacement as an immigrant, even though she has tried to put physical distance between herself and her country of birth in an effort of leaving the past behind. It was interesting to see Elin’s character develop as she slowly let her family see the darker corners of her psyche and allow her wounds to heal.

All in all, A QUESTION MARK IS HALF A HEART was part a heartbreaking coming of age story, and part a touching tale of facing up to our darkest secrets and deep-seated guilt. I really enjoyed watching Elin’s character go through stages of grief, growth and healing, and some aspects of the story broke my heart. This is a book that will appeal to readers who like slow-burning stories focused heavily on character development and the gradual unravelling of family secrets. I really enjoyed it and would love to read more from this author in future!


Thank you to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

*blog* *facebook* *instagram*

[Radmila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Topla, nežna i pre svega tužna životna priča Elin Bouls koja je u životu osetila i siromaštvo i luksuz.

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐️

[Natalie "Curling up with a Coffee and a Kindle" Laird · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was SO intrigued by the title of this novel. I loved the idea of it and I think about it often. Can't believe I never realised it before!
The novel started brilliantly, and gripped me, but then I began to lose interest and wasn't as motivated to continue reading as I was at the start.
The dual timeline is a feature I love in novels, and I do feel this was done well. It just seemed that the plot slowed down a lot, and I wanted Fredrik's involvement to be much bigger, as well as Elin's secret. For it to have had such a major impact, I believe it should have been introduced earlier to the story.

[Raluca Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aceasta carte a fost destul de placuta dar nu a reusit sa ma impresioneze in mod special. Este o carte despre amintiri, despre secrete pe care le pastram in suflet, despre acele momente prin care am trecut si care ne-au transformat in ceea ce suntem astazi si despre iertare.
Cartea este scrisa pe doua planuri, in prezent o avem pe Elin, o fotografa de succes, care locuieste in New York si care este mult prea atasata de munca ei. Petrece atat de mult timp in partea profesionala incat partea personala are de suferit.
In trecut o avem pe Elin, o copila saraca care locuieste pe o insula din Suedia, impreuna cu doi frati si o mama depresiva. Tatal un alcoolic abuziv ajunge sa fie arestat dar cu toate acestea, copila Elin este diferita de adulta Elin, ea reuseste sa se bucure din lucruri simple si in ciuda saraciei pare sa duca o viata fericita, mai ales pentru ca are aproape un bun prieten.
O tragedie face ca Elin sa fuga din satul natal, initial se muta la tatal ei pentru ca apoi sa fie angajata de o agentie de modele din Franta.
Timp de 20 de ani nu indrazneste sa-si caute mama sau pe bunul ei prieten si traieste cu vina in suflet. Reuseste sa pastreze secreta aceasta parte din viata ei pana in momentul in care primeste o scrisoare de la prietenul din copilarie.
"Se intampla atatea lucruri in timpul unei vieti. Traim atatea experiente care devin amintiri, si aceste amintiri fac parte din noi. Ne formeaza. Ne marcheaza pentru totdeauna, indiferent cine suntem si care ne-ar fi existenta. Ele fac din noi ceea ce suntem . (...) "

[Joke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heel mooi boek. Geschreven vanuit een persoon, Elin, maar in rwee verschillende periodes in haar leven. Het verhaal gaat erover, hoe je eigen perspectief en herinneringen je levenskeuzes bepalen. Hoe wat ongezegd is, meer bepalend is, dan wat wel gezegd is.
Ik heb t boek in een ruk uitgelezen, was enorm gepakt door Elin's levensverhaal.

[Kremena Koleva · Rating 3 out of 5]

" Всички сме в канавката,
но някои от нас гледат към звездите "
/ Оскар Уайлд
Нямах търпение да си купя " Въпросителната е половин сърце ". След невероятната " Червеният тефтер " на София Лундберг знам, че ме очакват страници, изпълнени с преживяванията на героите и със емоционални размисли. Сега ще се уверя ...

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Много приятна история. За човешките спомени, прошката,която дължим на себе си и близките си и важността за насладата от живота. Определено се насладих на книгата.

[Ingrida Lisauskiene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lengvo pasiskaitymo knyga, tinkanti pertraukai ir poilsiui tarp iš proto vedančių reikalų ar užgriuvusiu darbų, kai tiesiog reikia paskaityti, o mąstymui nėra jėgų. Paprasta "happy end" istorija - moters gyvenimas bėga, jai sekasi darbe, bet griūva šeima. Pasiseks išgelbėti santykius tik išsiaiškinus praeities klaidas ir jas išsprendus. Pagrindinė knygos herojė tiesiog yra paprastos tiesos įsikūnijimas: dalis problemų išsisprendžia tiesiog jas įvardinant ar šnekant su aplinkiniais.

[Monika · Rating 4 out of 5]

För ett par år sedan dök det upp ett väldigt överraskande recensionsexemplar. Ett frågetecken är ett halvt hjärta av Sofia Lundberg hör väl inte direkt till min "vanliga" genre och det är nog en av anledningarna till att den har blivit liggande. Jag har förstått det som att väldigt många gillar hennes böcker så jag har ju inte kunnat låta bli att vara nyfiken. Trots allt. I år hamnade hon på min Boktolva. Läs mer på min blogg

[Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elin is a successful photographer, living in new York with her husband Sam, and their daughter Alice who has just started college. But Elin and Sam's marriage is falling apart. Consumed by work, Elin has no time for her family. When she receives a note from a childhood friend she hasn't seen in years, she will return to Sweden, to the place she lived as a child, and the secrets she left behind.

This book is told in alternating chapters between Elin's life as an adult in New York, and her childhood in Gotland. Neither is a happy tale. As an adult, her marriage is strained and she is falling apart. As a child, her family have little money and never enough food, and her mother is often cruel to the children.

I personally much preferred the past storyline when Elin was a child. The events were interesting and I wanted to know what would happen to Elin, her friends and family. You get a real sense of the place where she lives and the other people she interacts with. Elin spends much of her time with the adults in the neighbourhood, and I really liked getting to see how her interactions with them shaped her future. The present-day storyline was far more difficult to read. It was clear that Elin and Sam's marriage is falling apart, but I couldn't bring myself to care. Present-day Elin is so flat, and we don't get to know Sam so it's hard to care about him either. Whereas in the past, Elin was doing things, in the present it's chapter after chapter of her going to work and ignoring her family.

I wish the pacing of the present-day storyline had been better, and that the characters were stronger so that I could actually care about them. Honestly, if this book had just been about Elin and her childhood I'd have probably enjoyed it more. The crawling present-day storyline meant that when things did start to happen, they were incredibly rushed. The ending in particular felt like it had been thrown together very quickly and was as such far less believable.

3 stars because I liked one of the storylines, and I listened to the audiobook which was read quite well.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Question Mark Is Half a Heart was a beautifully written study on family struggles and how the events of one's childhood can impact them as adults. This story is told with a dual timeline. It goes back and forth to Sweden in the late 1960's/early 1970's and 2017 in New York City.

The main character, Elin is experiencing what appears to be an emotional breakdown in 2017. Over the course of the novel, we go back to her life as a young girl growing up in a small village in Sweden. Her childhood was less than ideal. The only shining spots for her were her two younger brothers and her best friend, Fredrik. The events of her childhood traumatized her to the point that she appears to have blocked out a great deal of her past. The real question is did she block things out or simply hide them. It was hard to tell. Either way, the events are coming back to Elin and her life is in chaos. She's forgetting things and isn't there for her loved ones. It's damaging her relationships with her husband, Sam and daughter, Alice. Even though work has always seemed to be her main focus in the past, Elin is also starting to forget things at work and is missing appointments - - all of this is damaging her reputation..

This wasn't a fast=paced novel. Things unfold gradually and although there is a relatively big moment from her past that comes to light later in the book, the storyline has a fairly steady flow. I enjoy books like this that demonstrate how we are often a product of our pasts. It's heartbreaking when you see that assumptions and fears can make you miss out on opportunities. But then making those choices opens other doors as well. After all, that is life....making decisions and living with them.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

[Shannon Rochester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I requested this book because I loved the last one I read by this author. Sometimes you just have to take a chance...every now and then you are wrong but I wasn't this time. It was not AS good as the Red Address Book but I really liked it in general. Elin is our main character, along with her family, past and present. She is a very in demand photographer who never seems to be at home with her family and one day they get tired of it. The daughter moves to the dorm and the husband just kind of moves out. When this happens, Elin has nothing but time to spend thinking about her past and what has brought her to this point. It is a past that her family has no idea about because she isn't who she's told them she is. I really enjoyed the past vs present and I enjoyed watching the growth of the characters throughout the book. I would recommend to anyone who also likes character development stories :)

[Vera Sopa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muito bom desde as primeiras páginas. Alguns autores, não desiludem. Depois de ler A Agenda Vermelha não podia perder este novo romance. E Elin já me conquistou.

A vida profissional de Elin está ao rubro mas o casamento com Sam está a descambar, depois de Alice atingir a maioridade e sair de casa, quando recebe um mapa das estrelas e uma breve mensagem de Fredrik e o passado irrompe pela porta azul e Elin é assolada pelas memórias. Tocante e envolvente numa escrita clara e límpida, que torna muito presente o que é narrado.

Seguramente o melhor romance que li este ano. Um romance que marca porque emociona e através da protagonista sentimos emoções fortes enquanto testemunhas priveligiadas do tanto que foram afetados. Será que nos lembramos através das memórias que ficam gravadas das coisas tal qual nos aconteceram?

[LiLi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never been this wrong about a book. Going into it I seriously thought it was going to be a 2-star-read, but suddenly it started getting better with every chapter.
I was super annoyed with 99% of the characters at first but the more was revealed, the more relatable they were. The plot became more intriguing as well, and the romance aspect was - luckily - not a main plot point like I had expected.
I love Elin's and Fredrik's relationship; as the characters go through their archs they become so endearing and the story really pulls you in.
Also, I cried like a baby throughout all of the last 50 pages, which I wasn't prepared for.
This book was everything I didn't know I needed in a book right now. I'm so blown away.

[Sam | Sambooka23 · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was the title of the book that caught my eye. I was very intrigued but at the same time, realised that a question mark is half a heart! How have I never noticed this before!?

Elin's story is bittersweet and enjoyed the different POV's, all from Elin's but at different times in her life. I did feel it dragged a little at some points but my love for the book didn't waiver.

Thank you Netgalley and Sofia for allowing me to read this ARC!

[Jenny (knasentjej) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Den var lite trögstartad och jag kände mig på något sätt distanserad från händelserna. Men den blev bättre och slutar på en solklar 3:a i betyg. Det är sorg, förtryckta känslor och missförstånd, bland annat. Jag rekommenderar verkligen.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this was not a bad book by any means, the major story line was built on lack of communication which is a pet peeve of mine in books. If the characters would have just talked and been honest with each other, this book would have never happened.

[Jurga Jurgita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Besibaigiant metams ir susidėliojus paskutines knygas, kurias dar noriu šiemet perskaityti, pastebėjau, kad labiau linkstu prie šiltų, jausmingų, gyvenimiškų istorijų. Bet gerai žinau, kad tarpe jų, bus viena ar kita sukrečianti. Taip reikia, taip gyvenimas yra surėdytas, kad be meilės nėra dramos, o be karo nėra istorijos. Bent jau mano nuomonė tokia. Per šiuos metus prisiskaičiusi šeimos dramų ir jausmingų istorijų, vis tik pamaniau, kad jų skaitymas man tikrai išėjo į naudą. Sakyčiau su tokio pobūdžio knygomis aš pabėgdavau nuo savo mamiškos rutinos, tiesiog leisdavau pailsėti savo galvai nuo sudėtingų kūrinių, kartu su knygos herojais išgyventi visą jausmų paletę ir vėl grįžti į literatūros pasaulį prie to, prie ko labiausiai linksta širdis-modernioji literatūra. Bet ne apie ją noriu kalbėti šį kartą, o apie Sofia Lundberg. Lietuvių skaitytojams ji pažįstama su savo pirmuoju romanu "Raudona užrašų knygelė", o šį kartą jau antroji jos knyga "Klaustukas-tai pusė širdies". Labai metaforiškas pavadinimas privertė susimąstyti, kad žiūrint į klaustuką jis tikrai sudaro tik pusę širdies. Atrodo toks įdomus dalykas priverčia dėmesį atkreipti tuomet, kai pamatai jį kažkur kitur, šiuo atveju, knygos pavadinime. Tad su šiuo pastebėjimu norėčiau ir jums papasakoti apie tai, ko galima tikėtis iš šio romano. Knygos siužetas mums pasakoja apie sėkmingą fotografę Eliną, kuri gyvena laimingą gyvenimą Niujorke su savo vyru Semu ir dukra Alisa. Tačiau šioje idealioje šeimoje kažko stinga. Elinos gyvenimą vieną dieną supurto laiškas nuo Fredriko-vienintelio tikro draugo iš skurdžios vaikystės Gotlando saloje prie Švedijos krantų. Tai nelauktas balsas iš praeities, kurį Elina metų metus bandė nuslėpti net nuo pačių artimiausių žmonių. Kas tai per paslaptys? Ką tokio skaudaus patyrė ir išgyveno Elina, kad nenori papasakoti net savo šeimai? Kokius skaudžius praeities įvykius Elina priversta prisiminti iš naujo? Atsakymai glūdi šioje paslapčių kupinoje istorijoje, kurią skaitydami turėsite galimybę pamatyti ne tik dabartinį Elinos gyvenimą, bet kartu su jos prisiminimais nukeliauti į jos praeitį. Žinot, skaitydama šią knygą, mačiau Elinoje savyje užsisklendusią moterį, kuri savo praeitį bando nuslėpti nuo dukros ir savo vyro, kuri visą save yra atidavusi darbui ir niekuomet nerandanti laiko savo šeimai ar pasitaikius progai tiesiog su ja pabūti. Ji visuomet teisinasi, kad turinti daug darbo. Tai lyg savotiškas bėgimas ne tik nuo savęs, bet ir nuo savo problemų, nebandant jų spręsti, o tik lengvai pasiduodant. Sakyčiau, kad Elina yra pati savęs užguita. Nepaisant to, patiko man šios veikėjos portretas: lyg ir aukos, lyg ir kovotojos. Kaip jai seksis spręsti problemas, galėsite pamatyti patys, skaitydami šį romaną. Apskritai paėmus, man šis kūrinys pasirodė daug jautresnis nei pirmasis autorės romanas. Tačiau, kuris labiau patiko-sunku atsakyti, bet kad patiko abu- tai tikrai. Pavadinčiau juos šiltais, jautriais ir kupinais vilties, puikiai tinkančiais šiam šventiniam laikotarpiui. Tad jei turite mamą, močiutę, tetą ar draugę, kurioms patinka tokios už širdies griebiančios dramos-drąsiai dovanokite. Ir žinot ką dar pridėkite? Ogi užrašų knygelę: raudoną arba juodą. Autorę tiek viename, tiek kitame savo romane, jas naudoja kaip akcentą prisiminti kažkada rašytus pastebėjimus, prisiminimus, vardus ar adresus. O kartais tiesiog pradėti pildyti ją tuo, kuo buvo gyventa anksčiau - prisiminimais. Man ši knyga tikrai nenublanko prieš pirmąją, netgi labai patiko:truputį kitokia, bet tuo pačiu miela ir paglostanti širdį. Tad šią knygą norėčiau rekomenduoti nebūtinai šios rašytojos gerbėjams, bet tiems, kurie nori pasakojimo apie savęs suvokimą, tiesos paieškas, apie susitaikymą su praeitimi. Tuo pačiu tai būtų puiki kalėdinė dovana tam žmogui, kurį mylite, bet neišdrįstate tai pasakyti arba norite, bet negalite. Na ir apibendrinant, negaliu nepasidalinti savo įžvalga: "Praeitis nėra tik praeitis: buvusių įvykių pasekmės tęsiasi dabartyje. Ateitis irgi nėra vien tik tai, kas dar bus: ji kuriama čia ir dabar"