My Thanks to NetGalley and Atlantic Books for a free ARC of this evocative novel in return for an honest review. I requested it because the storyline appealed to me but I was a bit hesitant because I’ve read previous Scandinavian novels that have been over oppressive and gloomy. I needn’t have worried. Although set in dark forests in the north of Sweden, it’s summertime and the sun never sets. And the emotions of the characters, so skillfully portrayed by this native author, now living in America, drive the book along. It’s the story of Lelle, a maths teacher at a local school, whose daughter Lina has been missing for three years. She was last seen waiting at a bus stop to go home, but she never got on the bus. Her parents split up over the tragedy and her distraught father spends all his free time in the long summer nights driving along the road that the bus would have taken, the Silver Road of the title, and any subsidiary roads and tracks into the forest. He has a map on a wall at home and methodically marks off each trail that he explores. So intense is his search, that he is failing to care for himself properly. Alongside this story, we have another of Meja a seventeen-year-old girl and her drug-addicted alcoholic mother, Silje, who also has mental health issues. The mother is incapable of caring for either of them and manages by moving them in with a succession of men. Her latest she has met on the internet and moved them both up to a remote cabin in the forest, not far from Lelle, the searching father. These two stories are constantly changing over, interleaved within the same chapters, but it doesn‘t disrupt the reading, probably because they are set in the same area, with the forest and the everlasting light through the night. As a backdrop. The two stories also happen in the same real-time, both told in the third person. To these main characters are added many more each important to the unfolding story. But the main character of this story is the setting, which I loved. It is so atmospheric and it’s obvious that the author is closely acquainted with this region. In fact, the book opens with the light over the forests and lakes giving the father the incentive to go on. All this contrasts vividly with the horror at the end.

It’s been a while since a book affected me as much as this one. I only hope that the author can maintain this standard and that this isn’t just a one-off. I could say so much more about the story, but read it for yourself. You will not be disappointed.

The Silver Road

Dark and atmospheric, set in Northern Sweden during the endless summer days and the endless winter nights, this novel follows a father’s search for his teenage daughter who has been missing for 3 years.

In some ways this novel follows the typical shape of a Scandi Noir novel. You might think that it’s same old, same old violence against young, beautiful women by twisted men. There is some truth to that, but the damaged character of Lelle is engaging - however there is very little consistent character development. The first half of the novel is rather samey... although the idea of him driving up and down the road was central to the plot of the novel, the tedium Lelle felt was also transferred to the reader at some points.

The narrative sped up in the second half, although the jump from Lelle’s borderline alcoholism and complete lack of self care to full time work in the secondary school felt a little jarring.

All in all, this was a decent read. I had hoped for more atmosphere from the setting, considering the title of the novel. Apart from constant references to either it being unbearably light or unbearably dark, there wasn’t much use of the location. One little mention of the Northern Lights could have been expanded, for example. Maybe I’m being too romantic about Sweden!

However, if you’re a Scandiphile like me, you will probably enjoy it, so it’s worth a try!

Lelle's quest to find his missing daughter of three years entwines with Meja's story and eventually the pair meet and realise that they need to help each other.
Along the way we meet some eccentric characters who don't always seem necessary to the plot. A bit long winded at times and frustrating in that the action seems to happen quickly and at the end of the book.

The story follows two protagonists, Keller and Meja.
Meja a teenage girl who has been neglected most of her life. Lelle a father searching for his teenage daughter who has been missing for three years

I don't know why but I just couldn't get into this book at first yet everytime I read it , I wanted to keep reading. It is well written, (so well, I hadn't realised it was a translation of the original) and the characters are believable.

It's a little slow going, with nothing really happening until the end. It often seemed to me like it was set in the past but perhaps that was the authors intention?!

It's different as I don't think it's a thriller or a crime story, yet has elements of each with a few dysfunctional love stories! Worth a read.

Reading the synopsis for the Silver Road, one imagines a possible murder mystery novel, some detective work, maybe some spills and thrills along the way. In reality it’s a bit like a fly on the wall documentary from two people’s perspective, Lelle – the father of the missing girl and Meja – the new girl to the area. Doesn’t seem that inspiring does it? Well, forget inspiration, it’s a compelling read. Absolutely fascinating and very believable. I kept having to remind myself that it’s based in Northern Sweden and not in the USA. Maybe every remote community has those who fear the end of times? Certainly the feeling of protection towards children comes through strongly both Lelle’s in his quest to find his daughter and Birger’s in trying to protect his mentally ill son. However, the latter’s is totally blinkered to the damage his has on other peoples children. I know it’s a novel but I’d like to think Lelle continues to take Meja under his wing as if she was his daughter.
I’m going to give it a five start rating because it delivered far more than the synopsis suggested.

The grim dysfunctional family - alcoholic, damaged mother and daughter - find themselves in a brutal landscape, while the father of a long-missing girl drives over and over in the rocky, abandoned countryside looking fo her - this unhappy opening somehow - almost against my will - grabbed me, and I found I could not put it down until the two strands grew together - and the characters begin to find each other in gruesome ways - the mystery is solved and a new girl is caught in the trap - I was utterly dragged along . I have to admit that I did not love this violent and perverse world but found I wanted to know not only what happened but how it came about. Tough but addictive! Very professional and adept writer ..

Stina Jackson writes a profoundly moving, atmospheric and haunting debut set in the remote and isolated part of Northern Sweden, with its forests, so intensely dark and cold. Lelle is a middle aged teacher, whose 17 year old daughter, Lina disappeared from a bus stop three years ago. His life has disintegrated, his wife blamed him, and their marriage failed to survive the anguish and despair of their loss. For a while, the police had him down as a suspect, along with Mikael, Lina's boyfriend, with Lelle often confronting him. Whilst his wife has finally moved on into another relationship, Lelle just cannot let go, drinking has become a much needed crutch to help him cope.

Lelle obsessively drives along the Silver Road at night in his car, often accompanied by the ghost of his daughter. He feels the police have put insufficient effort into finding Lina as he desperately combs the internet for any crumbs of information, whilst exhorting others to help find her.
Troubled newcomers to the area, 17 year Meja and her alcoholic mother, Silje, a woman with mental health issues have a history of moving around often. Silje has a tendency to zone in on men that she believes will provide financial security and latch onto them but Meja has had enough as she pines for stability and moves in with her boyfriend's survivalist family. She is to find herself in danger. Meja and Lelle's paths are to cross and connect with each other as another girl goes missing and she bears a remarkable resemblance to Lina. Lelle finds himself joining the efforts to find her for obvious reasons and the separate threads in the narrative begin to come together as the truth begins to emerge.

Jackson is a talented writer and a welcome addition to the Scandi-Noir genre with this dark and disturbing novel. The overriding focus is on love, loss, grief and family, and the impact of heartbreak on family dynamics. The sense of location is stunningly conveyed, with its forests and abandoned buildings, and imbued with a odd sense of eeriness and chill. I found this an impressive read where the characterisation is done with skill, making the characters compelling and memorable. A wonderful read that I recommend highly to those who love their Scandinavian crime. Many thanks to Atlantic Books for an ARC.

Lelle lives in remote Norther Sweden. three years ago he dropped his daughter at the bus stop on the Silver Road and by the time the bus arrives she has disappeared. He then spends the following three years driving along the silver Road, up every track and clearing and visiting every abandoned house and building.
Meja, a young girl, arrives in town with her mother. She then learns that dangers are lurking everywhere and just as she thinks she is safe her life takes a tragic twist.
Lelle and Meja are thrown together as their lives become intertwined. Will Lelle solve the mystery of his daughter and how is Meja involved?

Reading this book was like drinking, pure, cold water. So good.

I don't know if it was because I read this in the dead hours of the night, but I felt myself sitting next to Lelle in his car, desperately driving on Silver Road, I could even see the front lights hitting the tarmac!

A bravo to the translator is essential, Susan Beard has done an amazing job. Writing is so flawless, I haven't even realised this was a translation until I checked! The sad, elegant writing was there from start to finish.

This is the story of Lelle and Meja. Lelle is a middle aged teacher, whose daughter have gone missing three years ago from a bus stop, in broad daylight. Everyone tells him of, the police, his now ex-wife. But he doesn't give up searching for his lost daughter, Lina.

Meja and her mother Silje moves to the town Lelle lives- Silje is not the perfect mother and she desperately tries to survive by clinging a man. They move into the man's isolated house. For Meja, who always moved from city to city in South Sweden, North of Sweden is strange and foreign.

While Meja tries to fit in and understand this new environment Lelle desperately search for his daughter.. The book switching between their viewpoints, and I really enjoyed this story although I did see the end and the villain coming.

Highly recommended for lovers of Scandi Crime.

I loved this story. It is dark and atmospheric and beautifully written. I loved the descriptions of the scenery and the characters. The characters are a wonderful collection of misfits that add to the suspense and make for compelling reading. Lelle is such a tragic figure. I felt so sad for him searching for his daughter and the heartbreak he was going through. The ending of the book is heartbreaking but there is also a sense of hope.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Bleak tale set in North Sweden. Lelle's daughter disappeared three years ago and he spends the long days of summer searching the Silver Road for her.. Meija is a teenage girl whose dysfunctional, mentally ill mother moves around from place to place and they end up in Lelle's village. Meija falls in love with a boy whose farming family are survivalists, hoarding food which they store in a bunker. You certainly keep hoping that Lelle will find his daughter, and a dramatic final episode reveals what happened.

Wow! This is an incredibly accomplished debut novel that grabs you from the first page and doesn't let go.
It's a heartbreaking read about 2 main characters; Lelle, who drives The Silver Road looking for his missing daughter and Meja, a young woman being brought up by a dysfunctional mother and who finds herself in this remote part of Sweden and whose life becomes entwined with Lelle in a shocking way.

The writing is so descriptive, my heart ached for Lelle as I read his longing and despair as well as with Meja, who, as a young woman, is trying to understand her own feelings and frustrations, whilst also caring for her alcoholic mother.

It's such a great read and maintains an underlying suspense throughout. It's profoundly moving and so well written that it leaves a heart print that will stay with me and it's one of those books that, despite the list of TBR's, makes me not want to read for a while. Like an excellent meal or wine, I need a while to savour.

Congratulations to Stina Jackson, more please! And thanks to NetGalley and Atlantic books for the opportunity to preview this astounding debut.

A good story about a man whose daughter has gone missing. It's set in Sweden where for six months of the year it is light and six months dark. In the light half of the year Lennart travels the local road, the Silver road, searching for her. Then another girl goes missing, one who is almost identical to his daughter, will this help with the search.

Really enjoyed this book.

I'm afraid this one was not for me. I couldn't identify with the characters and found the storyline too rambling.
Reading other reviews, I think the fault lies with me! Perhaps I should try again.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

Compelling Scandi Noir

When Lelle’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Lina, goes missing whilst on her way to a holiday job, the police have to admit defeat. Having followed up several leads there is just no evidence as to what happened, not least lack of a body.

Lelle, however, refuses to give up the search and for the last three years he has spent every Summer night driving the Silver Road, searching woods, ditches and derelict buildings. In the winter months when darkness and snow make searching impossible, he can only brood and drink. This commitment takes a heavy toll, his marriage fails, and he is widely viewed as being unhinged.

We join Lelle as the third anniversary of Lina’s death is approaching, and his estranged wife is arranging a memorial procession and vigil. Around the same time a troubled young girl, Meja, moves to Norrland with her mother Silje; this is the thirtieth move in seventeen years, and Meja yearns for a proper family and home life. When she meets Carl-Johan she thinks she has found it. Then, another girl is abducted and Lelle is convinced there is a link to Lina’s disappearance.

When Meja joins the high school where Lelle teaches they form a bond of sorts with Meja finding a father figure, and Lelle seeing his lost daughter in her.

This novel has the right balance of suspense and interpersonal tension with the characters bursting with individuality.

A very enjoyable read.

Pashtpaws

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for the ARC.
Well, if you like books with lots of atmosphere weaving the storylines together, then this one has it in 'spades'.
Full of desolation, bleakness and isolation as, for the past three years following his 14 yr old daughter's disappearance from a bus shelter, Lelle travels the northern Swedish road and all its byways through the forests, searching for her still, during the endless Summer nights.
Meanwhile 17 yr old Meja arrives in town - her mother having met a man through the internet and have travelled to live with him. Meja explores the area and becomes friends with a survivalist family living 'off-grid' to the modern world.
Another 17 yr old, Hannah goes missing and this brings up Lina's disappearance once again.
Told between past and present, building the main characters' backgrounds, the strands are gradually brought together into a partially-expected, but nonetheless unexpectedly horrific conclusion to the mystery of the disappearances..
At points the narrative appeared to drag a little, but well-worth sticking with.

Once I got into this book, I was completely hooked all the way to the page turning climax!
I loved the character of the landscape of Sweden and the atmosphere it added to the story-telling. The disappearance of teenage Lina at a bus stop on the Silver Road is highly intriguing and you can't avoid being drawn into the mystery of what occurred and the father's relentless and heart-breaking quest for answers. The darkness, desperation and grief is told beautifully and the story threads come together really well in a pacey finale.
A fantastic debut novel! Immersive, believable characters and a convincingly drawn split narrative - I thoroughly recommend this book.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Atlantic Books and Corvus for the opportunity to review and talk about this book..

I am a big fan of Scandi Noir and this book did not disappoint.
Two teenage girls vanish without trace, three years apart. The grieving father of the first girl has spent the long summer nights driving endlessly along the Silver Road searching for her.
A vulnerable teenage girl relocates to the area with her unstable mother. In her quest for a stable family and a place to call home, she finds a boyfriend and hastily moves in with his survivalist family.
This was a fast moving story, totally absorbing and with the kind of bleak darkness typical of the genre.

A creepy Scandinavian noir. I enjoyed this despite some clunky translation. It’s a 4/5 on goodreads from me. Lost a point for the obvious translation difficulties. But I’d still recommend as a great story that kept me guessing till the end.

Three years ago, high school teacher Lelle’s 17 year old daughter Lina went missing. Lelle’s wife Annet blamed her husband - he’d dropped his daughter at the bus stop, - why hadn’t he stayed until the bus arrived? Lelle blames himself too, and he uses drink as a crutch, and spends his waking hours searching the ‘silver road ‘ where Lina disappeared. Such is his obsession, he also spends much of the night searching too, not wanting to waste a moment, unable to rest, but it’s playing havoc with both his physical and mental health. Annet meanwhile sleeps her days away with the help of medication. Needless to say it brings their marriage to an end. Neither of them able to come to terms with their despair, and unable or unwilling to communicate their feelings. Annet has moved on now, got herself a new partner, and she thinks it’s time Lelle stopped his searching, time he accepted that Lina won’t be coming home.

In the meantime, 17 year old Meja arrives in the small, isolated Swedish town, and finds herself in Lelle’s class. This is a girl who hasn’t had the best of lives - she doesn’t know her father, and her mother Silje, can best be described as feckless. In Lelle though, Meja finds someone willing to help her, and as autumn turns to winter, their lives become intertwined in a most surprising and frightening way.

The police trail for Lina has gone cold, but now another girl has gone missing and she’s the same age as Lina - she even looks like her. Lelle is convinced that there is a connection and he won’t stop searching until he brings both girls home.

It’s not difficult to understand what Lelle is going through - the torment of not knowing what has happened to his daughter, and the all pervading air of sadness he carries with him, as he searches long abandoned homes deep in the forest, with their smells of decay, rotten wood, and a desolation matched only by the solitude of the remote Swedish landscape. But Lelle’s despair is all consuming and my heart breaks for him - God how it breaks!

This is Scandi noir at its best. Stina Jackson has written a beautifully haunting story of love, loss, and a father’s obsession. The incredible (but moody) landscape, the isolation, the strange characters that a location like this can create - all of these elements come together to create a simply beautiful, heartbreaking but compelling read.

So I’ve finished another book, put it to one side, but I can’t get Lelle out of my head - this imperfect, despairing, yet ultimately caring man will stay with me for some time to come!