Member Review
Review by
Vivienne O, Reviewer
My thanks to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Lost Village’ by Camilla Sten in exchange for an honest review. It was translated from the Swedish by Alex Fleming.
In horror novels/thrillers unexplained mysteries are clearly catnip to young documentary filmmakers and so it’s not surprising that there would be interest in Silvertjärn, an isolated mining village in the heart of Norrland.
In 1959 the village’s entire population of nine hundred vanished. Actually when the police came to the village after reports of something strange having occurred they found only the body of a woman stoned to death in the village square and a newborn baby girl. Clearly neither was going to be able to provide information on where everyone else had gone. No trace was ever found though there were plenty of theories. Ever since Silvertjärn has remained a ghost town.
In the present Alice Lindstedt grew up hearing stories about ‘The Lost Village’ as her grandmother’s entire family were among those who had disappeared. Now an aspiring filmmaker, she is hoping to make a documentary series about the village’s mystery and perhaps even solve it. Alice gathers a small crew of friends and they head to Silvertjärn to do some preliminary filming hoping to attract backers to the project.
Almost from the moment they arrive mysterious things begin to happen and it becomes clear that they are not alone. Without spoilers, let’s just say that clearly no one in their crew has ever seen a horror film.
Camilla Sten has woven the present day events with those in 1959, heading chapters as Now and Then. In both time periods, there is plenty of nail-biting tension and tragedy.
Its remote Scandinavian setting was extremely atmospheric and enhanced the sense of dread of a lurking menace. Overall, I found this an engaging and satisfying thriller.
‘The Lost Village’ is Camilla Sten’s debut thriller and after reading it I look forward to news of her future projects.
In horror novels/thrillers unexplained mysteries are clearly catnip to young documentary filmmakers and so it’s not surprising that there would be interest in Silvertjärn, an isolated mining village in the heart of Norrland.
In 1959 the village’s entire population of nine hundred vanished. Actually when the police came to the village after reports of something strange having occurred they found only the body of a woman stoned to death in the village square and a newborn baby girl. Clearly neither was going to be able to provide information on where everyone else had gone. No trace was ever found though there were plenty of theories. Ever since Silvertjärn has remained a ghost town.
In the present Alice Lindstedt grew up hearing stories about ‘The Lost Village’ as her grandmother’s entire family were among those who had disappeared. Now an aspiring filmmaker, she is hoping to make a documentary series about the village’s mystery and perhaps even solve it. Alice gathers a small crew of friends and they head to Silvertjärn to do some preliminary filming hoping to attract backers to the project.
Almost from the moment they arrive mysterious things begin to happen and it becomes clear that they are not alone. Without spoilers, let’s just say that clearly no one in their crew has ever seen a horror film.
Camilla Sten has woven the present day events with those in 1959, heading chapters as Now and Then. In both time periods, there is plenty of nail-biting tension and tragedy.
Its remote Scandinavian setting was extremely atmospheric and enhanced the sense of dread of a lurking menace. Overall, I found this an engaging and satisfying thriller.
‘The Lost Village’ is Camilla Sten’s debut thriller and after reading it I look forward to news of her future projects.
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
