With thanks to MacLehose Press for my gifted copy, here is my review of this shockingly beautiful read.

What's it about?
They say you die three times. The first time for me was when my heart stopped beating under his hands by the lake, and the second was when what was left of me was lowered into the ground in front of Ivan and Raksha at Solna Church. The third time will be the last occasion my name is spoken on earth.
She was a neglected child, an unreliable mother, a sex worker, a drug user--like so many nameless victims of violent crime. But first she was a human being, a full, complicated person, and she insists that we know her fully as she tells her story from beyond the grave. We witness her short life, the harrowing murder that ended it, and her grief over the loved ones she has left behind. We see her parents struggle with guilt and loss. We watch her children grow up in adopted families and live imperfect lives. We feel her dreams, fears, and passions, even though we will never know her name.
A heartrending existential drama by the acclaimed Swedish writer Sara Stridsberg, The Antarctica of Love is an unflinching testament of a woman on the margins, a tale of family lost and found, and a report of a murder in the voice of the victim. This novel of life after death unfolds in brief vignettes, brimming with unexpected tenderness and hope.
Bobs and Books honest review: This punches you in the gut from the opening paragraphs and devastates you over and over again. Poignant, hard hitting and thought provoking. Not a character I would usually warm to but from this unusual perspective it made me stop, listen and learn. It feels quite experimental its in form and its something that hooked me in from the off. Cleverly complex, particularly when she's giving her back story, and watching family members post murder. Her relationships with various people are intriguing, particularly her brother.
The words are light, and almost poetic at times which repels against a dark and difficult subject matter. Its so matter of fact at times too, it stuns even more. Devastatingly brilliant.
Out Thursday, 30th September.
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