Very well-written and engaging, but very much of its type, and I wonder when the domestic noir bubble will burst...

A Triptych of Human Frailty: A Nearly Normal Family, by M. T. Edvardsson

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read an early copy of this book.


Although I am a great fan of whodunnits I am a relative novice when it comes to Scandi Noir. I managed to miss all those trendy TV series, and apart from a brief fling with Henning Mankell, I have only read two Scandi Noir novels proper. So I was looking forward to reading A Nearly Normal Family to make up for this obvious shortcoming in my history as a fan of the genre.


Alas! This ambition has been thwarted once again. Because A Nearly Normal Family is not a Scandi Noir novel. That isn't the same as saying that it's not a bloody good read, because it is. It is also not saying that it does not excavate somewhat the shortcomings of Swedish society, because it does. Or that at its heart does not lie a murder mystery, because, again, it does. It is simply saying that it does not have the narrative viewpoint of your typical police procedural.


It is a finely balanced text structured in three parts. We hear first the voice of the father, then that of the daughter and finally that of the mother. If this has a somewhat religious resonance, I am fairly sure it is intentional.


The father here is, literally, a father, a Pastor of the Church of Sweden. In other words an establishment figure but, for all that, I have to say of the Scandinavian type, in other words forward-looking and relatively liberal, but above all, moral. It is through him that we first confront the main plot knot of this novel, the murder by stabbing of a well-off youngish man, with his 19-year old being accused of killing him. We are faced with his confusion and his questions and he offers his point of view on his daughter's conflicted background as well as the first clues pointing to the circumstances surrounding the killing. At first we are sympathetic but then being in his, rather limited, head, besides the central dilemma confronting him, becomes somewhat wearing. Just when we are about to set the book aside with a sigh...


The second part begins with the daughter's point of view. Needless to say she is quite a different person from her father or what her father would wish her to be.

And this is all to the good making a very refreshing change. The lack of stimulation of her current circumstances, she is being held in jail pending trial, contrast strongly with her vivid recollections of her life outside. She is at the same time passionate and contradictory, strong and weak, perhaps a far more believable character than her father, living in a completely different, more visceral, world from him. Her capacity for self-reflection is stimulated by a particularly inspired prison psychologist who gives her to read texts such as Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, The Catcher in the Rye and Crime and Punishment, which are also clear references for this novel.



The mother’s narrative seems far shorter than either of the former, and for me, less convincing, for example, she is supposed to be a highly qualified criminal lawyer, who is married to a Pastor, and she is unaware of basic biblical tales? Being an unbeliever does not make you ignorant of religious basics… Also her position is far, far, murkier than that of her husband and child, she knows but she almost does not dare to know. She acts as the ultimate “fixer”, like the holy spirit, who in church tradition may be female, and whose main function is to mediate between the father and his child.



Overall, I have to say as a novel, this worked brilliantly, and the central whodunnit is not resolved until the very last lines, but by then this question has lost all urgency and what the reader really wants to know is “Why was it done?” and “Will justice be done?” Which are, perhaps, far more important questions.



In summary, this novel may not be the Scandi Noir I expected it to be… But it may be all the better for that.

This book oozes frustration! . I found the characters fascinating but would have found them more so if they had behave in a more credible manner. Questions, pure and simple questions were never asked. I could not believe that Adam would not have asked his wife what she had done with his daughter’s phone and stained blouse and surely Ulrika would have asked Amina how her own daughter was involved on the night Chris was stabbed? These are just two instances!
Then after relating how monotonous life in her cell was Stella suddenly has lunch, goes to the gym and has a shower! Really!
This followed by Adam stating emphatically that he knew the time his daughter arrived home by looking at his clock after earlier stating to the female detective that he checked on his phone!
These factors plus many more contributed to the incredulity of what could have been a decent tale. It certainly had me guessing right up to the end but unfortunately my exasperation will prevent me from recommendation!

"It takes a long time to build a life, but only an instant for it to crumble."

Stella's parents, Pastor Adam and defence attorney Ulrika, struggle to keep their eighteen year old daughter Stella within set boundaries. Stella is a force of nature and always does what she wants. Her biggest dream is to go backpacking in Asia after the school finishes in a few months. The dreams are shattered when Stella comes home in the middle of the night with a blood stained blouse. A 32 year old Chris Olsen has been stabbed to death and Stella is suspected of the murder.

A Nearly Normal Family is a thought-provoking legal thriller that explores a question of how far would parents go when it comes to protecting their child. The story is broken into three parts, each one told from a perspective of a different character - the father, Stella and the mother, allowing the reader to slowly piece the story together. The author took his time developing the characters and their relationships, masterfully portraying the family dynamics and the world of an 18 year old. Highly recommend for fans of the Nordic noir and court room dramas.

4.5 stars

Many thanks to Pan Macmillan for my review copy in exchange for an honest review.

A great story, told from different viewpoints. I worried it might be difficult to get into but was so well written I became immediately absorbed. Highly recommended.

A Nearly Normal Family is different from most courtroom dramas in that it illustrates the Swedish legal system which is very different from the UK one.

The story revolves around one family, pastor Adam, his 18 year old daughter Stella who is accused of murder and her mother, Ulrika, a respected lawyer.

Rather than split the narrative into chapters back and forth between his characters, the author has given each of his three protagonists a full section each. For me, this works well and makes the read a pleasure.

However, the weakest section in my view, is the first, that of the father, Adam. He believes Stella has been framed for murder. and is determined to find out who the real killer is. The second section is in Stella's voice. A girl, who, like many teenagers, fights against her parents' restrictions, she has been in a relationship with an older man, whose murder is being investigated. Her mother, Ulrika, is the third voice. By which time we are not sure who is telling the truth.

The themes cover family, friendship and loyalty as well as hidden secrets. A Nearly Normal Family is a good read and I think will appeal to fans of Anatomy of a Scandal. Many thanks to Netgalley and PanMacMillan for the opportunity to read and review it.

This was an interestingly set out story in three parts. We don't know if the daughter did it, so it was an interesting read having the three viewpoints on it. Normally books will go back and fore with the different characters' pov but this was different in that there were three parts to the story - the three povs.
I very much enjoyed this story.

Thrilling story about family, friendship and lies! What are we ready to do for our family?

***

Father, mother, Child. An nearly normal family. The eighteen-year-old Stella is in court, she is said to have stabbed a man brutally to death. Her father, a pastor, is desperately trying to find out who is lying and killing his daughters the future. The mother, a lawyer, approaches the case pragmatically. Both give everything to protect Stella.

***

An absolute description text decision! The story sounds so exciting and confusing that I just had to read it!

I was hooked quickly. The narrative begins from the perspective of Adam, Stella's father. Between current events and flashbacks to Stella's teenage years, one learns a lot about the relationship of the two. You also start to see why the relationship has some serious cracks.

***

While listening to Adam's story, I grew a bit bored. Adam's part of the story could have been a lot shorter. Almost half of the book is from the perspective of the pastor. Stella and her mother each get only a quarter.

***

Adam's part is important to understand the dynamics of the family. His daughter can not fulfill his expectations, she knows that and responds accordingly. But in my opinion the two are not so different, because Adam makes some very stupid decisions and acts out of the affect.

Stella's part of the story is particularly exciting. While Adam is completely in the dark, one only learns that not everything fits together. There is reason to doubt the story of the police.

But when Stella has a say, the doubts begin to fade away. Stella is aggressive now and then, Stella does not give a damn about rules. She has a less than ideal relationship with her parents and finds her life incredibly boring. Stella could commit a murder, I'm almost certain.

With Stella, the book takes a new direction. The narrative adapts to the character and you start to feel with her.

***

When finally the lawyer and mother Ulrika has a say, the book gets really exciting. The lengths and boredom I had at times with Adam was blown away. I was curious what will happen and also whether you will ever learn the truth as a reader. I could not wait to find out who lied and about what!

2.5 stars

This book started out so strong, it's very disappointing how things seemed to fall apart a little bit more every time a new perspective was revealed. Adam the pastor as a narrator became honestly a little bit terrifying and I was genuinely curious where his actions would lead. Somehow none of it had any bearing on the story and he becomes a completely wasted character. Instead we are introduced to mother and daughter, both unreliable narrators but with such flimsy plot and motivations that I slowly lost interest. The sad little reveal of a twist wasn't nearly enough to save the nonsense that preceded it. A lot of potential wasted it seems, the bones of a great story got lost along the way.

A Nearly Normal Family by M.T.Edvardsson is a Scandinavian noir thriller / courtroom drama that pulls you in and keeps you hooked from the first page to the last.

Told from three points of view – Ulrika (the mother who thinks her daughter has secrets), Adam (the father who believes his daughter is being set up) and Stella (the accused, rebellious 17 year old) – you cannot help but feel immensely for all three characters. The timeline alternates between past and present but it is very easy to follow the storyline.

It covers topical themes such as absent and demanding parents, betrayal, friendship, sexual assault, murder and of course: what would you do to protect your children?

There is a lot of tension, and the suspense builds at a steady pace. Interesting snippets are included in the story which keeps you guessing as the details unfold. It was not completely unexpected and the ending was not a shocker, but I enjoyed the telling of the story and will definitely read more by this author.

#netgalley #mtevardsson #anearlynormalfamily #panmacmillan

WOW, what a fantastically well written book that was that so kept you captivated from the opening sentence right until the very last one. I love the way the book was written in 3 parts and you got the storyline from 3 very different angles but you were still none the wiser what was the correct version. Highly recommended!!!

A very enjoyable read, although quite a challenging read at times. Told in three parts, one from each member of the family, the story gives an in depth look at the family dynamics following the murder of a young man. More of a slow burner than a fast paced thriller, this book is very well written.

The story is presented from daughter's, mum's and dad'd perspective. It reveals their view on the events. Mind-taking book with unexpected twists and turns. Could not put it down. Talented author. Can't wait for more of his books!

This thriller, which is set in Sweden, will keep you spellbound right to the end. You will look at the events leading up to the death of Chris Olsen through the eyes of Stella then her father’s and then her mother’s and your opinions will change again and again. A must read.

I couldn't finish it unfortunately. The story was boring the characters were unlikeable and I honestly just stopped caring.

Rivetting whodunnit - just as you think you've figured things out another red herring pops up. An interesting look at morals and what we would or wouldn't do for those we love, made all the more fascinating when you look at the careers of the ''main'' parents involved.

Really enjoyed this book - great to hear from the different perspectives and fascinating family dynamic played out throughout the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's such an intense thriller that you don't want to put down. I love that you go through the book from different view points, it makes it that bit more interesting.

Not the kind of book I normally read but I loved it and will look forward to more by the same author. Kept me guessing and held my attention , what more could I ask for .

Quite a challenging book to read.
Story focuses on a Pastor and his family.
His teenage daughter Stella is arrested for the murder of Chris Olsen.
The story is told from the perspective of Adam (the pastor), his wife Ulrika and Stella - this is an interesting literary device and gives added depth to the story although it was a little bit repetitive.
The denouement of what happened leading up to the murder is clever and enjoyable .
It also highlights the difficulties of growing up as a teenager and relationships with parents and other adults.
Something different from the norm.
Enjoyable , well written and translated.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this.