The Bleeding by Johana Gustawsson
1899, Belle Époque Paris. Lucienne’s two daughters are believed dead when her mansion burns to the ground, but she is certain that her girls are still alive and embarks on a journey into the depths of the spiritualist community to find them.
1949, Post-War Québec. Teenager Lina’s father has died in the French Resistance, and as she struggles to fit in at school, her mother introduces her to an elderly woman at the asylum where she works, changing Lina’s life in the darkest way imaginable.
2002, Quebec. A former schoolteacher is accused of brutally stabbing her husband – a famous university professor – to death. Detective Maxine Grant, who has recently lost her own husband and is parenting a teenager and a new baby single-handedly, takes on the investigation.
Under enormous personal pressure, Maxine makes a series of macabre discoveries that link directly to historical cases involving black magic and murder, secret societies and spiritism ... and women at breaking point, who will stop at nothing to protect the ones
About the author
Born in Marseille, France, and with a degree in Political Science, Johana Gustawsson has worked as a journalist for the French and Spanish press and television. Her critically acclaimed Roy & Castells series, including Block 46, Keeper and Blood Song, has won the Plume d’Argent, Balai de la découverte,Balai d’Or and Prix Marseillais du Polar awards, and is now published in 28 countries. A TV adaptation is currently underway in a French, Swedish and UK co-production. The Bleeding – number one bestseller in France and the first in a new series – will be published in 2022. Johana lives on the west coast of Sweden with her Swedish husband and their three sons.
Review
‘The Bleeding’ is an atmospheric beautifully haunting gothic thriller that shocks to the very last sentence. It's set over three timelines with three women and their stories intertwine and merge to form a gripping tale that will captivate every reader. I wish I had taken my time reading this book as when I closed that last page I instantly went ‘well that was stunning wasn't it?’ and I wanted to return right to the start to see what I had missed but also to relive these women’s stories. I could have easily devoured a full book about each woman as they were beyond fascinating. This is the first book of Johana’s that I have read but it certainly won't be the last as her turn of phrases, at times so simple but were so powerfully devastating and haunting that they linger in the reader's psyche. Well done David Warriner on another fabulous translation.
Three women, three timelines. The historical mixed with the present. Life versus death. When a former schoolteacher is found on her doorstep covered in blood she utters one sentence ‘Get Detective Grant’. Maxine is just about to return from her maternity leave but returns early as the woman is her old teacher. When they enter the house they find the husband brutally murdered. Maxine is under pressure to solve this case but when the police find some macbre items in the house it takes a drastic turn into the mystic world of the occult. Also, how is it related to Lucienne’s and Lina’s stories? Well that is for you to find out…
Oh how I devoured this tale and let all its beauty saturate my soul. Lina and Maxine I fell for, each for different reasons but I resonated to them both. Lina is a poor tortured soul and I remember being that odd one out growing up and it's horrific. Maxine was true and loyal and I loved her. Gina was also a brilliant character and it will be interesting to see if it's around her the series is centred on. Although I loved the characters for me (for once!) it was the story that shocked and awed me. How trauma can live through generations and reverberate so strongly. I am not normally one for occult witchy books but this worms it's way into my head and put a spell on me. But it was the psychological aspects of it that fascinated me. The past affecting the future, the pressures placed on women, the manipulation to name but a few themes.
This was a beautifully woven book and the design reflects this! How pretty is this book? That cover and the sprayed edges! Just take my money now Orenda.
Let me know if you read this beauty as I need to talk to people about it!!!
