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BOOK CLUB

Book Club: We’re reading The Silver Road by Stina Jackson

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.

Published: 3 July 2020 06:57 CEST
Book Club: We're reading The Silver Road by Stina Jackson
The midnight sun of Norrland is the backdrop for the novel's opening section. Photo: Asaf Kliger/imagebank.sweden.se
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.

Member comments

  1. Hello Catherine, just got my copy of The Silver Road and can’t wait to start it! Thanks for the Book Club. It has introduced me to books I would not have read! Susan

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BOOK CLUB

Book Club: In December, we’re reading Good Sweden, Bad Sweden by Paul Rapacioli

The Local's Book Club is looking at this non-fiction book by one of our founders about how Sweden's reputation is used and misused around the world.

Published: 3 December 2020 15:45 CET
Updated: 6 December 2020 09:37 CET
Book Club: In December, we're reading Good Sweden, Bad Sweden by Paul Rapacioli
Paul Rapacioli is co-founder of The Local and author of a book about Swedish values. Photo: Sofia Runarsdotter

Published in 2018, Good Sweden, Bad Sweden by Paul Rapacioli draws on his years of experience managing The Local in a world where fake news and polarised narratives pose a serious threat.

So what part does Sweden play in this?

For nearly three decades, values and social norms around the world have been measured by the World Values Survey, in which Sweden is an outlier: more secular and individualistic than any other country. In this way, it's extreme.

It is also a country that a lot of people have limited knowledge of: it has a relatively small population, a language few foreigners understand, and it's geographically fairly isolated.

This makes it easy for people to misrepresent Sweden, and present a one-sided picture to support their own views. Good Sweden or bad Sweden. 

To join in with the Book Club, all you have to do is find a copy of Good Sweden, Bad Sweden and let us know what you think of the book.

If you have questions for Paul, send us an email and we will put some of your questions to him in a Book Club Q&A later this month.

Throughout the month and beyond, we'll be discussing the book in our Facebook group, so here are a few questions to keep in mind:

  • The book discusses several news stories and how they were portrayed around the world. Do you remember coming across any of these stories?
     
  • What adjectives and what values do you associate with Sweden? If you moved here from abroad or have visited regularly, has your impression changed?
     
  • Good Sweden, Bad Sweden was published in 2018. How has the situation changed since then?
     
  • Do you agree with Rapacioli's arguments, and why/why not?
     
  • If you read Factfulness earlier this year, do you see any parallels or contrasts between the arguments both books put forward?
If you'd like to share your thoughts on Good Sweden, Bad Sweden, 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.  In Sweden, you can buy the ebook from Adlibris and the paperbook from Amazon, among other retailers.

 

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