Kurzbeschreibung

Die Malerin Angelika Rossdal zieht mit ihrer Tochter Liv auf eine kleine Insel. Liv wächst isoliert auf und ist nicht in der Lage oder willens, neue Freunde in ihrem Alter zu finden. Die meiste Zeit verbringt sie mit einem älteren Nachbarn, der ihr alte Volksmärchen und Geschichten über Trolle, Meerjungfrauen und - entscheidend für die Ereignisse, die sich im Sommer ihren achtzehnten Jahr entfalten - die Huldra, einen wilden Geist, der in Form eines unwiderstehlich schönen Mädchens erscheint, um junge Männer ins Verderben zu locken. Liv beginnt zu glauben, dass etwas übernatürliches auf der Insel passiert. Aber ist das wirklich so? Oder verliert Liv, ein einsames Mädchen, langsam den Bezug zur Realität? A terrifying and dream-like new novel from one of our greatest contemporary writers.

Beschreibung

A young girl, Liv, lives with her mother on a remote island in the Arctic Circle. Her only friend is an old man who beguiles her with tales of trolls, mermaids, and the huldra , a wild spirit who appears as an irresistably beautiful girl, to tempt young men to danger and death. Then two boys drown within weeks of each other under mysterious circumstances, in the still, moonlit waters off the shores of Liv's home.

Were the deaths accidental or were the boys lured to their doom by a malevolent spirit?

Rezension

"It's very, very rare for a writer to be equally good at poems and novels. John Burnside is. He's a brilliant poet, a brilliant memoirist, and a brilliant novelist ... breathtakingly good" Christina Patterson Independent

Klappentext

A terrifying and dream-like new novel from one of our greatest contemporary writers. At a critical point in her career, painter Angelika Rossdal suddenly moves to Kvaloya, a small island deep in the Arctic Circle, to dedicate herself to the solitary pursuit of her craft. With her, she brings her young daughter, Liv, who grows up isolated and lonely. Now twenty-eight, Liv looks back on her life and particularly to that summer when two boys drowned under mysterious circumstances in the still moonlit waters. She is convinced of supernatural intervention but is she slowly beginning to lose touch with reality?