The Clock-Mender

by Maggie Freeman

In a rural village in interwar Sweden, Nils Lindgren is content with his simple life as a clock-mender. Unfortunately his partner, Katarina, is not. Nils is utterly devoted to her and is desperate to make her happy. He is aware of her many affairs over the years but finds it in himself to accept her infidelity as part of her character. That is until he discovers that Katarina has been having an affair with his best friend, Josef Olsson. The confrontation between Josef and Nils escalates out of control, leaving Nils very badly injured and Josef in need of an alibi. Meanwhile, Katarina is dreaming of setting sail for America with her daughter's boyfriend - an aspiring film writer. When she visits her daughter, Freja, in Stockholm and finds out that her boyfriend has already left, it is the final straw. The clock is ticking and something has got to change. Spreading a web of lies about Nils, Katarina dismantles his reputation and ruins his friendships with very serious repercussions. The quiet and familiar life that Nils once had is replaced by upheaval and uncertainty. While war threatens, can he find happiness again? Will Freja find love again? Or will Katarina's reckless search for her own contentment tear her family apart?

324 pages, Paperback

Published November 13, 2015

Reviews

[Jan Hibbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sadly haunting tale

I enjoyed the evocative descriptions of landscapes and people which made the characters real. The story of fragmenting relationships and petty human cruelties was achingly sad at times.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amazing story. It is so different that you never know what is going to happen next. Loved it! Stayed up to read until late in the night. I received this book free from Goodreads.