I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

I found this book quite difficult to read, I appreciated the concept and storyline and reckon I’d have loved it had I read it in its original language.

Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

A beautiful read. Set today in NYC where Elin leads a privileged life as a successful photographer. The back story is her growing up on an island off the mainland in Sweden. As the story evolves a big secret emerges and takes Elin back to a truly traumatic event. I really enjoyed this family saga. Stunning writing that makes you feel you are in the madness of NYC to the remote island of Gotland.

This is a dual timeline novel following our main character Elin, who was born and lived in Sweden until her teenage years. One of the timelines is of her childhood in Sweden, and the other is of her current day life in New York. Her childhood was a very poor upbringing and a tough time, yet she had family and friends, and it had a lot of heartwarming charm to it. Meanwhile in current day she has a successful career, a wonderful partner and a beautiful daughter. In this book you follow how Elin got to where she is from where she was, as she explores old secrets that threaten to tear apart her family.

First of all, I think it’s important to realise that this is a translated novel. The writing was a little jarring for me at first, and definitely took some time to settle into, which I am putting down to partly being due to translation. I also feel this novel had some pacing issues. That said, with those faults I still loved this book! It was a quiet, slow and meandering novel at times, which suited the plot greatly. So while this isn’t one you can zoom through, you don’t necessarily want to either. It can be a hard read at times due to the trauma of events in Elin’s childhood. This book broke me at times and had me sobbing. I loved the way this book explored relationships, and secrets, and how you should never just make assumptions about anything.

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.

Wow! This was an intricate, unusual and deep novel exploring the impact that the events of your childhood can have you in your adult life. Elin is a brilliantly compelling, complex and detailed character, and the slow revealing of the depth of Elin’s character is really well written by Lundberg.

Thank you Net Galley, the author and publisher for the early advance copy of this book.

Utterly compelling read. An unusuial book, with a slow start which soon becomes compelling. it will leave you thinking long after you have finished
Definitely recommended.

I requested this book because of its title which made total sense by the end. Elin has not been truthful about her past and eventually it catches up with her. This is an emotional read about secrets, lies, family and love.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.

Sofia Lundberg gave us some vivid and complex characters in this novel with her descriptions bringing the fragile Elin and her dysfunctional parents to life. However I did think that Elin's angst was a bit too prolonged as her problems at work became a bit repetitive. The pace quickened as Alice persuaded her mother to confront her past and reveal the secret that haunted her for so many years.

Sofia Lundberg has written a deep and intriguing novel about Elin, now a successful, work-obsessed photographer, but with a hidden secret. The story shows the long-lasting effect of childhood events on one's life, but also that assumptions are damaging. Elin is a gloriously complex character and the reasons for this are gradually revealed as the book progresses. Family and love are at the heart of the novel. A great read.

Thanks to Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

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!

An unusual book with an unusual title, but both made sense in the end.
After a slow start with some disagreeable characters, I warmed to this book. The narrative became compelling and as the story progressed so the lies and layers of Elin's life wre uncovered.
This is certainly a book to savour

I really enjoyed this story focussed on the effect of childhood experiences on the adult. I found it different and some of the things that happen to the main character unexpected.
The story begins in the luxury life of New York and moves to a very different life experience in rural Sweden. The contrast is stark and certainly provided added interest in the book for me. I enjoyed the descriptions of life in Sweden 30 years ago.
thoroughly recommended.

Utterly compelling read. It will have you questioning if you can ever truly leave the past behind you or indeed if you should.
Definitely recommended.

Not the easiest of reads as protagonist Elin is a complicated character, her past in Sweden impacting on her ability to connect with others including her husband and daughter. Told in alternating chapters between present and her Swedish childhood it shows how her fractured relationship with her mother and the fallout from her mother’s life made her the woman she is today yet her past is something she’s never discussed with those she loves and these secrets have left her half a person. This is an engaging story and I really felt for young Elin and the brilliant community around her.

A dual timeline dark and fascinating novel that sheds the light on how past secrets can impact our present. Highly recommended!