The Memory of Love

Fans of Astrid & Veronika and Chris Cleave's Little Bee will be thrilled to read Linda Olsson's third novel. Here is Olsson doing what she does best: illuminating the terrain of friendship and examining the many forms that love can take.

Marion Flint, in her early fifties, has spent fifteen years living a quiet life on the rugged coast of New Zealand, a life that allows the door to her past to remain firmly shut. But a chance meeting with a young boy, Ika, and her desire to help him force Marion to open the Pandora’s box of her memory. Seized by a sudden urgency to make sense of her past, she examines each image one-by-one: her grandfather, her mother, her brother, her lover. Perhaps if she can create order from the chaos, her memories will be easier to carry. Perhaps she’ll be able to find forgiveness for the little girl that was her. For the young woman she had been. For the people she left behind.

Olsson expertly interweaves scenes from Marion’s past with her quest to save Ika from his own tragic childhood, and renders with reflective tenderness the fragility of memory and the healing power of the heart.

PRAISE FOR LINDA OLSSON

“As in her first novel (Astrid & Veronika, 2007), Olsson renders luminous prose that lingers over the startling beauty of New Zealand and the blistering truths of the human heart. This is a potent, piercing tale of revelation and regret”

– Booklist (starred review)

“Natural and vivid, utterly convincing…simply so beguiling.”

– The New York Times Book Review

“Linda Olsson writes with a dark lyricism that compels attention.”

– Boston Globe

“Readers will love this book, especially in these times when the finer, nobler emotions seem like luxuries.”

– Los Angeles Times

“Sonata for Miriam is notable for Olsson's sensitivity to human emotions and her lyrical, pared-down prose--not a word is out of place. Now living in New Zealand, she deftly captures the flavour and feel of the countries she portrays.”

– The Economist

“Much of what I loved in Astrid and Veronika is present in Miriam: Olsson's unique voice and understanding of human nature and relationships; how she captures both inner and outer landscapes; and how so much is said in unspoken moments between characters. Sonata for Miriam is another literary treat that will delight book clubs and should bring Olsson a well-deserved broader audience.”