The White City

March 6, 2017
In Ramqvist's exciting English-language debut, Karin spends the winter inside her mansion, taking naps and breast-feeding her infant daughter, Dream, a child she never wanted. Her criminal lover, John, left the two of them when the authorities began tracking him, and now Karin has to deal with his actions. She manages to get by until the Swedish Economic Crime Authority pays her a visit to inform her that all of her assets will be seized in nine days in order to cover John's tax debt. Karin finds herself with nowhere to turn. She and Dream go to visit her former friends to ask for help but get turned down. This short novel, full of suspense and beautifully written dreamlike sequences, places readers directly in Karin's situation and allows them to feel her isolation and desperation. Though Ramqvist withholds a great deal of information, especially regarding John, Karin's emotional journey will have a lasting impact on readers. Agent: Astri von Arbin Ahlander, Ahlander Agency.

November 15, 2016
A new mother turns to old acquaintances for help when her future is under threat.Karin's boyfriend, John, is dead. He's left Karin with a big, beautiful house on the lakeside, an infant daughter named Dream--and the Swedish Economic Crime Authority on her trail. John's criminal career had previously ensured Karin's comfort, but now that he's gone, she has little left but loose change. In the middle of a frigid Scandinavian winter, after she gets word from the authority that her house and car will be seized within days, Karin--accompanied by Dream--reaches out to some of John's old associates in the hope that there might be a way, legal or not, to ensure her financial stability. But Karin quickly realizes that the people she thought of as her closest friends are no longer keen to help. Though the plot of Ramqvist's English debut may make it sound like a crime thriller, the pace is lulling, the writing sensuous and patiently observed. So much of the book, in fact, consists of long scenes of Karin nursing Dream or spending hours watching the infant play that the book feels, more than any thriller, like an allegory of parenting. Karin's life as a new mother is as gray and unchanging as the winter sky. When she tries to return to her old life, even temporarily, she feels alien and vulnerable. Ramqvist repeatedly shows Karin struggling with the physical weight of her daughter, trying to push a stroller through snow, or teetering off balance with a heavy car seat on her arm. And as Karin, quite literally, works to keep Dream alive against a backdrop of violence and deception, readers root for both characters to find their way. Delicate and unsparing.

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January 1, 2017
Karin spends her days nursing her baby, Dream, trying to sleep and envying the frozen natural world that lives outside her remote home. Signs of luxury, and danger, are theredesigner-full closets, bulletproof windows, and a gun in a drawerbut Karin's situation stinks of decay, too. Her lover, John, is gone, perhaps disappeared, and judging by the Swedish Economic Crime Authorities knocking on her door (for the second time), it appears he was involved in some shady dealings. Karin had wisely been unaware of John's business, but now she has no choice: the house, the car, all of it will soon be gone. Dream in tow, Karin goes on a mission to reconnect with John's friends and apparent partners; there must be something she's owed, someone who will take care of them, especially now that Dream is in the picture. They were all a family, right? The ghostly Scandinavian setting and Karin's closely narrated sense of impending doom, baby cooing patiently at her hip, make Swedish star Ramqvist's English-language debut an atmospheric and suspenseful read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

September 15, 2016

Organized crime forms the backdrop of this novel, winner of the Per Olov Enquist Literary Prize in Sweden, where it was a best seller. But it's really about a woman struggling to get her life back after the seductive criminal she fell for is gone and the party's definitely over.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2017

Choosing a fast, dangerous life often leads to a quick, deadly fall. Young and vulnerable Karin becomes enmeshed in a small sector of organized crime. She finds a sense of self within this stealthy crowd, loving the parties, the drugs, and the money. She enjoys a spacious home and is helplessly in love with John, a key player in the criminal ring. Suddenly, however, the fun comes to an end, the cash is gone, and she has to fend for herself. That is, for herself and her very young baby, Dream. Nearly homeless during the icy Nordic winter, Karin is all but abandoned by her former friends and becomes desperate. Will she be able to recover from this crash and provide for her child? In her first English translation, award-winning Swedish author Ramqvist crafts a story of sparse detail that moves at a rapid pace. VERDICT With a character whose fear and anguish are palpable, this page-turner shows one young woman's struggle to face harsh realities once the smoke clears. [See Prepub Alert, 8/8/16.]--Susanne Wells, Indianapolis P.L.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.