Resin Paperback – August 9, 2018

"My name is Liv. And I'm not dead."I knew this was going to be a dark read, and I thought I was prepared, but the first chapter of this book left me so bereft of stillness I had to set it aside for a day."One of the first things I remember from the Head is the smell of fresh resin: the funny tickling in my nose, the sticky feeling in the palm of my hands and Dad's calm voice telling me about the sap in the tree. It was a strange sap, he said, because it could protect against attack, heal wounds and preserve small dead animals forever and ever."This book is told from many angles but, without a doubt, it is the voice of six year old Liv that breathes life into this haunting and claustrophobic story."Somehow it was nice that we were together, all three of us: my twin brother, our baby sister and me. All of us dead.Except that I was only reported dead."Liv has been raised her entire life on an isolated island called the Head, by her mother and father, both of whom are dealing with their own terrifying reality in equally destructive ways. The innocent accounting of Liv's everyday life as being perfectly normal is perhaps the most disturbing part of this book. Through Liv's eyes, Ane Riel has created an immersive and atmospheric tale full of not only visual stimuli, but of sounds and smells that wrap around you, transporting you into the suffocating environment of which Liv finds herself.This story will no doubt make you question your idea of what is right and what is wrong and to what lengths you would go to protect that which is of the utmost importance to you, especially after everything else you ever loved has been taken away.To say the ending is startling is an understatement, leaving little question as to the repercussions of Liv's upbringing.My review is vague for reason, I believe this book is best enjoyed when the reader goes in blindly. To give too much away would take away from the jarring narrative in this story. I recommend not reading other reviews as I have, after finishing the book, perused them and find that most give away entirely too much.

This book is very original but it doesn't work. The chapters narrated by the child are irritating and it's hard to get a sense of what's happening. Not that there's much happening. The pieces about the animals make for difficult reading and overall the book was far too macabre and 'out there' for my taste. The denouement is exciting, probably because it involves the owner of the local pub - the only character it's remotely possible to relate to.

I loved this book. Disturbing, addictive and wonderfully fascinating.

A surreal tale but the characters are completely believable - you have to find out what happens!

Love scandic noir but this book gives a different slant.. Loved it

This was a very difficult book to read because of its contents.... dry well written but a very dark subject.