i have just finished the new novel to one of my favourite scandinavian authors linda olsson, the nature of goodness. it was NOT a disappointment, i LOVED it from the first page and it is almost kind of sad to "say goodbye" to the characters now that i have closed the book for the last time.
the nature of goodness is her third novel, i have read them all but i must admit that her very first novel astrid & veronica has a special place in my heart. it is one of my top three books. i read her new novel in norwegian and i didn't manage to translate the writings that i especially liked so i could share them with you but here is some from her other two novels.


“Take risks! That is really what life is about. We must pursue our own happiness. Nobody has ever lived our lives; ther are no guidelines. Trust your instincts. Accept nothing but the best. But then also look for it carefully. Don't allow it to slip between your fingers. Sometimes, good things come to us in a such a quiet fashion. And nothing comes complete. It is what we make of whatever we encounter that determines the outcome. What we choose to see, what we choose to save. And what we choose to remember. Never forget that all the love in your life is there, inside you, always.” - astrid & veronika


“...when I checked the other day, I found it - my strawberry patch - overgrown and hidden under weeds, but still there...like secrets, like memories. You can make yourself believe that they have been erased. But they are there, if you look closely. If you have a wish to uncover them.” - astrid & veronica


“Now it is as if I remember my grief rather than experience it. I remember the pain I suffered as the memories washed over me where I sat on the deck that day. Now I have only the memories of my own feelings, not the feelings themselves. That day the feelings were still alive, the pain real. Now I look back and I can see every detail but I am not there, inside it. My own pain is now forever calcified. I carry it with me, but it is no longer alive." - sonata for miriam


photo by sophie mörner by barbara n pinterest