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A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of the Year, this subtle psychological thriller explores the gray areas between innocence and guilt, truth and lies.
Siri Brodal, a chef and restaurant owner, is married to Jon Dreyer, a famous novelist plagued by writer’s block. Siri and Jon have two daughters, and together they spend their summers on the coast of Norway, in a mansion belonging to Jenny Brodal, Siri’s stylish and unforgiving mother.
Siri and Jon’s marriage is loving but difficult, and troubled by painful secrets. They have a strained relationship with their elder daughter, Alma, who struggles to find her place in the family constellation. When Milla is hired as a nanny to allow Siri to work her long hours at the restaurant and Jon to supposedly meet the deadline on his book, life in the idyllic summer community takes a dire turn. One rainy July night, Milla disappears without a trace. After her remains are discovered and a suspect is identified, everyone who had any connection with her feels implicated in her tragedy and haunted by what they could have done to prevent it.
More than an absorbing mystery, The Cold Song is a story about telling stories and about how life is continually invented and reinvented.
Linn Ullmann
Linn Ullmann is one of the most prominent voices in contemporary Scandinavian literature and the author of seven novels. Her work has been translated into over thirty languages, and many of her titles have been adapted for the stage. She has received numerous awards, including the Norwegian Gullpennen (Golden Pen) for her journalistic work, and the Amalie Skram Prize, the Dobloug Prize, and the Aschehoug Prize for her collected body of work. Both Girl, 1983 and Unquiet were nominated for Northern Europe's most prestigious literary award, the Nordic Council Literature Prize, and were bestsellers throughout Scandinavia. They form part of an ongoing trilogy meditating on memory, rage, and desire. Ullmann's background is in journalism and literary criticism. She teaches creative writing and lives in Oslo with her husband, the writer and poet Niels Fredrik Dahl, and their family.
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