A Nearly Normal Family - M.T. Edvardsson

I chose this book because I have a soft spot for Swedish books. Some of my favourite books are by Swedish authors....ask me for my list, I'm happy to share. I was also looking for a thriller since it had been awhile since we last read one.

A Nearly Normal Family is a thriller that focuses on each member of the Sandell family as they tell the story of a murder. Stella, the daughter, is accused of murder. Her parents, Adam, a pastor, and Ulrika, a criminal defense attorney, do everything in their power to defend her.

The book is separated into three sections, with each character explaining their perspective of the events surrounding the murder.

The first section is told from Adam's perspective. He has begun to notice changes in Stella. She doesn't want to participate in field hockey anymore, she's distant and moody, often preoccupied by her plans to travel after she finishes school. Adam wants to keep her close, often wishing she was more like her best friend Amina. One evening Adam is hoping Stella will come home rather than spend the night at Amina's. He texts her to see if she will be home, but she doesn't answer until much later. He hears her come in at 1:55 am and then hears water running in the bathroom and the laundry room. Curious, he checks the hallway as she goes into her room. After this night, everything changes for the family. A man is found murdered and Stella becomes the prime suspect. We see Adam do everything he can to save her and watch his mental health slowly decline. Adam, the pastor, is willing to lie to protect Stella.

The second section is told from Stella's perspective. The section starts off with Stella in jail and being visited by a psychologist, Shirine. Shirine is concerned about Stella and reaches out to her through books. Every time they talk Shirine brings her a book. As Stella is in jail, she remembers the events leading up to the murder and her arrest. Stella is no longer interested in the activities she used to do. She works at H&M to save money for a trip she is planning after graduation. She goes to the bar with Amina and meets a man, Christopher Olsen, who ended up murdered. One of Christopher's old girlfriends tries to warn her about Christopher and at first Stella doesn't believe her, but soon he shows his true intentions and Stella breaks up with him. But Amina has become interested in him and this is where things get bad.

The third section is told from Ulrika's perspective. As a criminal defense lawyer, she has more insight into how to protect Stella from conviction. Her plan is to create reasonable doubt about who committed the murder by presenting an alternative suspect. Ulrika's story picks up as the court case has started. Ulrika even enlists her former lover to defend Stella. Ulrika knows Adam is a key to Stella's defense, who wouldn't believe a pastor's story, a pastor wouldn't lie, right? She also knows that if Stella learns her plan she will refuse, so she tells Adam that they aren't allowed to see Stella. Ulrika, the lawyer, is willing to break the law to protect Stella.

The book ends with a short Epilogue where the truth of the murder seems to be revealed.

Both Jen and I enjoyed this book. It was dark at times with lots of twists and turns, leaving us guessing at what really happened. It also presented a lot of ethical questions. How far would you go to save your child? If they murdered someone, would you protect them?

Susan 📘📘📘📘

Jen 📘📘📘📘

Until next time, have a drink, read a book, and be happy!