Book Club: We're reading The Silver Road by Stina Jackson
Catherine Edwards - [email protected]
Published: 3 Jul, 2020 CET.
Updated: Fri 3 Jul 2020 06:57 CET
In July, The Local Sweden's Book Club is reading The Silver Road, a thriller about a man who spends the long northern Swedish summer nights driving and searching for his missing daughter. Join us as we read and discuss the novel this month.
Three years ago, teacher Lelle's teenage daughter Lina went missing. He blames himself for leaving her alone at a bus stop, and obsessively spends the nights looking for Lina.
"Lelle didn’t sleep in the summertime. Not any more. He blamed the light, the sun that never set."
OK, that's a sentiment I know a lot of us can relate to in Sweden, but for Lelle the sun and his sleeplessness become a constant reminder of what he's lost, and the incompleteness of Lina's case.
In the same small town in northern Sweden, 17-year-old Meja and her troubled mother are new arrivals, hoping to finally find security and normality in this new environment but struggling to feel at home.
When another girl Lina's age goes missing, Lelle and Meja's lives become intertwined as they become involved in the search efforts and try to put their own demons to rest. Love, loss, obsession and isolation overlap in this chilling story.
The Silver Road has picked up several awards and been described as "haunting", "thrilling" and "deeply affecting" by some of the biggest names in crime-writing.
To join in with the Book Club, all you have to do is find a copy of The Silver Road and let us know what you think of the book. Throughout the month, we'll be discussing the book in our Facebook group, so here are a few questions to keep in mind:
-
How does the landscape and setting interact with the plot? Have you been to the far north of Sweden?
-
Which characters or moments felt most real to you? Are there any moments you think will stick with you?
-
How is the theme of isolation explored in the book?
-
How did you feel while reading the book?
-
In what ways is this book specifically 'Swedish'?
-
Did you solve the mystery before the end? What were your theories?
If you'd like to share your thoughts on The Silver Road, ideas on what we should read next or other suggestions for the Book Club, join The Local Sweden's Book Club on Facebook, or send us an email.
Comments (1)
See Also
Three years ago, teacher Lelle's teenage daughter Lina went missing. He blames himself for leaving her alone at a bus stop, and obsessively spends the nights looking for Lina.
"Lelle didn’t sleep in the summertime. Not any more. He blamed the light, the sun that never set."
OK, that's a sentiment I know a lot of us can relate to in Sweden, but for Lelle the sun and his sleeplessness become a constant reminder of what he's lost, and the incompleteness of Lina's case.
In the same small town in northern Sweden, 17-year-old Meja and her troubled mother are new arrivals, hoping to finally find security and normality in this new environment but struggling to feel at home.
When another girl Lina's age goes missing, Lelle and Meja's lives become intertwined as they become involved in the search efforts and try to put their own demons to rest. Love, loss, obsession and isolation overlap in this chilling story.
The Silver Road has picked up several awards and been described as "haunting", "thrilling" and "deeply affecting" by some of the biggest names in crime-writing.
To join in with the Book Club, all you have to do is find a copy of The Silver Road and let us know what you think of the book. Throughout the month, we'll be discussing the book in our Facebook group, so here are a few questions to keep in mind:
-
How does the landscape and setting interact with the plot? Have you been to the far north of Sweden?
-
Which characters or moments felt most real to you? Are there any moments you think will stick with you?
-
How is the theme of isolation explored in the book?
-
How did you feel while reading the book?
-
In what ways is this book specifically 'Swedish'?
- Did you solve the mystery before the end? What were your theories?
If you'd like to share your thoughts on The Silver Road, ideas on what we should read next or other suggestions for the Book Club, join The Local Sweden's Book Club on Facebook, or send us an email.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.