First published 2023
Ina Mikkola gets dragged to a New Year's rave by her sisters and meets her future husband. What should be the beginning of happiness becomes the ultimate betrayal. Her sister Evelyn drifts through life before pursuing acting, while moody Anastasia flees to Tunisia and falls in love with a woman who will change everything. Their mother sells carpets and comes from Tunisia. Their Swedish father abandoned them years ago. Jonas, who has a Swedish mother and Tunisian father, watches their lives unfold from a distance. His path crosses with the sisters repeatedly over thirty years, from a chance meeting in Tunis to a fighter jet crash scene in Stockholm. When Evelyn vanishes during a New York trip, Jonas tracks her down and helps break a curse that has shadowed the Mikkola family for decades. The search reveals a shocking truth that transforms how they understand themselves and their mixed heritage.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, magical-realism, mystery-thriller, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, emotionally-complex, introspective, lyrical, multigenerational
Tropes: found-family, generational-trauma, interconnected-fates, unreliable-truth
Setting: Sweden, Tunisia, Tunis, Stockholm, New York
Period: 30-year period, New Year's Eve, Contemporary
656 pages · Paperback · Picador