Synopses & Reviews
A mass shooting has taken
place at a prep school in Stockholm's wealthiest suburb.
Eighteen-year-old Maja Norberg is charged for her involvement in the
massacre that left her boyfriend and her best friend dead. She has spent
nine months in jail awaiting trial. Now the time has come for her to
enter the courtroom.
How did Maja — popular, privileged, and a top
student — become a cold-blooded killer in the eyes of the public? What
did Maja do? Or is it what she failed to do that brought her here?
Review
"Astonishing...a dark
exploration of the crumbling European social order and the psyche of
rich Swedish teens....the incisive language that's on display here surely
involves translation precision that's second to none." Booklist (Starred Review)
Review
"Brilliantly conceived and executed, this extraordinary legal thriller is not to be missed." Library Journal (Starred Review)
Review
"Sharp social commentary
through the tragic story of a young woman's trial for mass murder....The
rhythm, tone, and language are just right...a splendid work of fiction."
Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Malin Persson Giolito
was born in Stockholm in 1969, and grew up in Djursholm, Sweden. She
holds a degree in law from Uppsala University and has worked as a lawyer
for the biggest law firm in the Nordic region and as an official for
the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium. She is now a full-time
writer and has written four novels including
Quicksand, her English debut. Persson Giolito lives with her husband and three daughters in Brussels.
Rachel Willson-Broyles became interested in Sweden and the
Swedish language at an early age. She majored in Scandinavian Studies at
Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, and received her BA
there in 2002. She started translating while a graduate student at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she received a Ph.D. in
Scandinavian Studies in 2013. Rachel lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.