The Sacrament: A Novel

by Olaf Olafsson, Jane Copland (Narrator)

The haunting, vivid story of a nun whose past returns to her in unexpected ways, all while investigating a mysterious death and a series of harrowing abuse claims

A young nun is sent by the Vatican to investigate allegations of misconduct at a Catholic school in Iceland. During her time there, on a gray winter's day, a young student at the school watches the school's headmaster, Father August Franz, fall to his death from the church tower.

Two decades later, the child--now a grown man, haunted by the past--calls the nun back to the scene of the crime. Seeking peace and calm in her twilight years at a convent in France, she has no choice to make a trip to Iceland again, a trip that brings her former visit, as well as her years as a young woman in Paris, powerfully and sometimes painfully to life. In Paris, she met an Icelandic girl who she has not seen since, but whose acquaintance changed her life, a relationship she relives all while reckoning with the mystery of August Franz's death and the abuses of power that may have brought it on.

In The Sacrament, critically acclaimed novelist Olaf Olafsson looks deeply at the complexity of our past lives and selves; the faulty nature of memory; and the indelible mark left by the joys and traumas of youth. Affecting and beautifully observed, The Sacrament is both propulsively told and poignantly written--tinged with the tragedy of life's regrets but also moved by the possibilities of redemption, a new work from a novelist who consistently surprises and challenges.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Crime

1 pages, Audio CD

First published December 3, 2019

About the author

Olaf Olafsson was born in Reykjavik, Iceland in 1962. He studied physics as a Wien Scholar at Brandeis University. He is the author of three previous novels, The Journey Home, Absolution and Walking Into the Night, and a story collection, Valentines. His books have been published to critical acclaim in more than twenty languages. He is the recipient of the O. Henry Award and the Icelandic Literary Award, was shortlisted for the Frank O’Connor Prize, and has twice been nominated for the IMPAC Award. He is the Executive Vice President of Time Warner and he lives in New York City with his wife and three children.
http://www.facebook.com/olafsson.author

Reviews

[Beata · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sacrament took me by surprise.
I loved the way the story is told, going backwards and forwards although following the plot required a lot of concentration. This was a slow read for me, there was no rush to learn about the events as the reader realizes it right at the start of the novel. So much, never enough, has been written with regard to the child abuse in the Catholic Church, and each story is painful in its own way. The slow pace shows the respect to all victims ... There is no grahic description, yet, the novel is very realistic as for the way this shameful crime against most vulnerable is tackled. The denial, manipulation and pride on the side of the culprit are most upsetting.
And there is Sister Johanna, an elderly nun, who recalls the most precious moments of her life and questions the decisions she made decades ago. All except one, I believe.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I think the audio version of a novel makes the story better because of the talent of the narrator. “The Sacrament” by Olaf Olafsson, narrated by Jane Copland is one of those novels that shine in audio. Copland has a melodious voice, capturing the novel’s narrator, Sister Joanna perfectly. Copland has the lilt, accent, and tone that enhances the story of a nun who steadfastly follows her conscious while she understands she’s being ignored and berated.

Author Olaf Olafsson writes a story that exhibits the layers of power in the Catholic Church. Sister Joanna is requested (demanded) to go to Iceland to investigate charges against a Catholic Priest of child abuse. She is to write a report as to her findings, and soon learns that her findings are all for show. The Priest will continue to be a Headmaster to Catholic Schools no matter what her discoveries are. We also learn of Sister Joanna’s history with a particular Priest, that through cunning and political maneuvering has moved up the hierarchy of the Church. He is her nemesis, the thorn that is background noise to her life.

Olafsson writes Sister Joanna with a sense of humor. Yes, she is serious, but she has a quiet dignity that has a fun side. For example, her pet is named George Harrison, after the Beatle George Harrison. She was particularly fond of the Beatles in the ‘60’s before she became a nun. While she’s in Iceland, investigating the Priest, a young man is assigned to drive her and accompany her in her investigation. He is an agnostic, with a car named “Jesus”. (As a person who names her own cars, I understand the naming of vehicles.) The reasons for the name are fun. And Sister Joanna agrees with the name and refers to the car as Jesus through the story.

The story is mostly Sister Joanna’s rumination of her life, how she became a nun, what she feels about God and spirituality. This is why Jane Copland is the perfect voice for Joanna. Copland brings her to life.

There’s a plot twist I didn’t see coming, which I love. Sister Joanna is what I hope most nuns are like. This is the first novel I’ve read by Olafsson. I’ll look for more of his work.

[*TUDOR^QUEEN* · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story takes place in both Paris and Iceland in dueling time frames. The main character Sister Johanna grew up as Pauline before she became a nun. As a teenager, she found that unlike her friends, she never was interested in the opposite sex. Then when she boarded at college in Paris, she became intensely attracted to her Icelandic roommate, Halla. As time went by, they worked on learning each other's language, but Pauline was a bit more serious about learning Icelandic. Matters took a momentous turn when a supervising priest's keen eye picked up on Pauline's ardor for Halla. In barely veiled terms he implied his knowledge of this illicit attraction, and precipitated Pauline's removal from that boarding room. Pauline then both worked and slept at the nearby guesthouse which was situated near the basilica and the convent. Halla and Pauline still saw each other, but it wasn't the same, and Pauline had to be more remote and careful about letting on her feelings. Then Pauline decided to become a nun. When college ended, Pauline saw Halla off in her taxi amidst a torture of simmering emotions. They corresponded by letter for awhile, Pauline (now Sister Johanna) still more guarded in her language. Halla wondered if something was wrong, and then the letters just stopped.

Now it's 40 years later and Sister Johanna has found a certain kind of peace at a convent in France where she is in charge of tending the rose garden. She also has adopted a dog which she named George Harrison, thinking that he looked a lot like the iconic lead guitarist of The Beatles. In fact, she and Halla used to surreptitiously listen to Beatles albums at college (especially "Revolver"). Just when Sister Johanna is enjoying a bit of serendipity she is contacted by the religious hierarchy to return to Iceland where she had been a nun. Something bad was alleged to have occurred forty years ago involving male children, but never proven. In fact, as the book begins, a critical event in the story is recounted involving a little boy who is treated harshly by a nun and remanded to stay in a closet. To alleviate his boredom, he stands on a pail to look out the tiny window, only to see a priest fall to his death at that very moment. Because of his black cape, he thought it was Batman. This child is now a man and has more information he wishes to impart about the incident. Sister Johanna is summoned to return to Iceland to revisit this unsavory event in her long ago history.

I find books about nuns quite intriguing and the cold locale of Iceland I thought would add a melancholy touch to the story. Unfortunately, I found the story slow moving as well as confusing due to the dueling storylines going back and forth throughout the decades. The strange Icelandic locales and names also added to the confusion. Finally, the lack of quotations to denote who was speaking left me even further adrift. I found that it was a lot of effort finally getting to the conclusion of the story with very little payoff. Maybe I'm an outlier for I had seen other positive reviews which prompted me to request this.

Thank you to the publisher HarperCollins who provided an advance reader copy via Edelweiss.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sophisticated novel told from the perspective of an elderly nun trying her best to enjoy her golden years tending to her roses and beloved dog. Her past comes back with a vengeance when she is required to return to Iceland to investigate events from her youth that have resurfaced but have never been forgotten. The unreliability of memory, youthful incompetence, first love, the abuse of power, and the marks on the heart that “sins” and sin leave are deftly and deeply explored. This is my first Olafsson but most assuredly not my last.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Dark and bleak, is this story of a young woman who struggles with a sexual orientation condemned by the Catholic Church. Going back and forth in time and alternating between Paris and Iceland, the story takes the reader inside the abuse accusations in the church. A nun herself now, she is tasked with the responsibility of investigating the abuse accusations arising out of a boys Catholic school in Iceland and their priest. Silence, a most potent motif is a result of sins kept hidden, of boys and their parents who are afraid to speak. The end result was unexpected, and surprising.

I liked this, sometimes it is all in the atmosphere, and this book has it in spades. The story had a authentic feel, the cold, brooding landscape, a scandal that has hit churches hard all over the world. It all fit together. Plus, I was reading while sitting in front of my picture window, while the sky darkened, the sun set and it seemed like I could imagine the story happening just as it did.

Not quite the happy holiday story I should be reading, but it did fit the melancholy I am prone to as the sun stays hidden so often in winter months.

ARC from Edelweiss.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love mysteries that deal with different places. Here, we are transported to Iceland. A French Catholic sister is sent to Iceland to investigate a charge of abuse against two school boys. Why does the Catholic Church send a nun, you ask. Supposedly because she speaks Icelandic. But even she susses out the truth - they don’t want her to discover the truth and are expecting her to fail.

We hear from Sister Johanna Marie both at the time of her investigation and some 20 years later, when she is sent back again when one of the boys changes his story. The sister has her own secret, which we learn early on. The book perfectly captures the times, especially as it pertains to the Catholic Church, when some sins are more acceptable than others.

Olafsson has a very sparse writing style, but that doesn’t mean it lacks grace or beauty. He jumps back and forth between Sister Johanna’s memories of her college days, the story in 1987 and the present day. The book covers the abuse of power in all its guises and how those abuses affect the innocent and the powerless. Johanna is a wonderful character. She wrestles with her faith. For her, God is not a certainty but yet she continues to pray and talk to him.

And yes, I knew from early on how the book would end, but that didn’t impact my enjoyment of the book.

My thanks to netgalley and Ecco for an advance copy of this book.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written novel, nuanced and often complex. Flashbacks over three time periods required concentration; but, as the story unfolds they gradually reveal a reckoning with a pedophile priest, cover-ups by the church hierarchy and the personal conflict of a nun sent by the Vatican to investigate sexual abuse at a Catholic school in Iceland.

As an ex-Catholic that attended Parochial schools, there are elements of the story that provoked deep reflection even after I finished the book. The author’s details of the patriarchal nature of the Catholic church were masterfully illustrated and rang true for me. To maintain their secrecy, the nun’s efforts to deliver her report are thwarted at every turn within the church clergy. The sanctimonious scolding that she often received from her male superiors touched a raw nerve. Obviously, the story triggered some memories of my own complicated relationship with the Catholic church.

It is an excellent novel, an atmospheric read and a character study more than a mystery. Recommended.

[Richard Derus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real Rating: 4.5* of five

Getting older, learning to live with the past, standing on the rocks of the walls you've crashed through and those you've tried to build, is a bear. You can't tell anyone younger what it means and anyone you know your own age not only knows but is busily trying to tidy the dust off their scratched, bloody feet.

When what you've seen, felt, done no longer matters to anyone but you...polite avowals of interest are never to be presumed upon...then Life can't take anything else from you and your fears just melt. Sad, isn't it, that the murder hornets whose wings only flap when they have a head of rage built up, never just...leave it. Their stings don't land; their rage grows. The worst has already happened, and a surprising number of people have learned from their own lives that the loud, angry buzz of Being Right heralds nothing but unpleasant tasting and smelling poison.

There is an amazing sweetness in indifference. Court it.

Favorite quotes:

The path to truth lies amid the long winding passageways of the soul, where fear and hope do battle with each other.
–and–
It is not difficult to show kindness to those we love, or even to strangers who might be in distress; it is easy to show relative consideration. The real test comes when we must forgive those who have done us harm, show love to our enemy. It is a test of our faith, our strength of mind.
–and–
I regret nothing. Was I talking to her or to myself—or to you, who watch over us without mercy, waiting for us to sin? Was I comforting myself or declaring war on you? Who knows? And nor should you, I said, and walked out.

[Barbara K · Rating 5 out of 5]

a. This is an incredibly powerful book on many levels.
b. I have no idea how to shelve/classify it. There is a death, about which there is some mystery, but IMO that death is simply a plot point around which to build a deeper story.

The real issues here are lives not led, potential not fulfilled, and, most significantly, the misogyny, cruelty, and drive for self-preservation of the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy. To be fair, I abandoned my connection with the RC church when, in my early teens, I realized the extent to which it marginalized women. Although I was hardly engaged with anything that could be labeled "feminism", I already had an instinctive revulsion against any organization that had no real place of respect for women.

And so, obviously, I was pre-disposed to understand the pain of Pauline (later Sister Johanna) in response to the ways in which she was manipulated by the men in the RC Church throughout her adult life.

The writing is strong and clear, firm and powerful. The author winds effortlessly through three timelines, each about 20 years apart. Although I had to pay close attention in order to stay with the plot, that simply meant I couldn't let my mind wander. It wasn't hard.

After finishing the book I googled Olaf Olafsson, the author. I was curious about what kind of man could imagine a story like this. A hugely successful businessman who migrated from Iceland to NYC, as it turns out. The world is full of surprises.

[Selena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free e-copy of The Sacrament by Olaf Olafsson from NetGalley for my honest review.

Sister Johann is asked to travel to Iceland and investigate an alleged sexual crime between a priest and some young boys.

After a very thorough investigation, Sister knows he is guilty. The problem is that none of the children or their parents are willing to have it documented. The priest knows this, of course, and provokes her.

An well written and intriguing read.

[Connie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

While a young boy looks on, a priest falls to his death from the bell tower of the church. Sister Johanna, a French nun, had been sent to Iceland to investigate charges of abuse of school boys. (She was fluent in the language after rooming with an Icelandic woman at university.) It became evident that the church hierarchy just wanted the charges to disappear, but the nun knew the truth.

Twenty years later Sister Johanna is living in a convent, tending the rose garden and pampering a rescued dog. She is a compassionate person with a dry wit. She is sent back to Iceland to talk to a man who wrote an anonymous letter to the bishop, and who will only talk to Sister Johanna about some new evidence. As she sets out on her trip, her memories come flooding back of her university days, her forbidden first love, her previous trip to Iceland, and a priest who knows her secrets. Sister Johanna's story is revealed through three interwoven timelines (which can be confusing until the reader knows which characters are associated with each of the two trips to Iceland). The nun stood up for the young and powerless. Justice is not always black or white, but comes in shades of gray. This was an excellent psychological mystery so I will be looking for more of Olaf Olafsson's work.

[Alka Joshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is quiet. It sneaks up on you. You can't wait to finish it. And you don't expect the end to be what it turns out to be. It's written in a deceptively simple style. The main character is a nun who doesn't dwell on God so much as on a love she lost twenty years ago. That the author could write a woman's POV so convincingly left me in awe (of course, I know other male writers have accomplished this, but it's still a marvel when done so successfully). The nun's "sidekick," (if we can call him that), also with the church, is similarly unpredictable; he calls his car Jesus. Reading a story about abuse from those who investigate it within a church instead of from the point of view of the abused was a fascinating and interesting twist. I hadn't read Olafsson before and was awed by his ability to capture this world so convincingly. I'll be checking out his other books now!

[eyes.2c · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense Nordic drama!

A boy locked in a school's broom closet views something strange out of the window.
A Catholic nun whose locked away her own secrets, including the reasons for her not quite belonging despite her best efforts. Her sense of humor, her attachment to her dog George Harrison and her rose garden don't quite still her heart. The persuasive church hierarchy who don't want to know. Cardinal Raffin, a sly holder of Sister Joanna Marie's life from before. He thinks that sending a nun with secrets can be controlled to investigate a school where abuse charges have been made. That this will suffice.
Sister Joanna is sent not once but twice, in her forties and then twenty years later to investigate complaints about the church school.
The major part of the novel, is set in Reykjavík, Iceland. How Sister Joanna comes to speak Icelandic is another story that we glimpse as Joanna recalls her time at the Sorbonne as she waits in Paris for her evening flight. Later we come to know more details.
I felt like I was constantly in an ice storm reading this, not quite knowing which way was up, but aware of danger. The clues are just beyond reach, almost. I often felt overwhelmed by Joanna's powerlessness in the face of the church hierarchy. I felt the weight of her secrets. I lived the consequences of both her indecisions and her decisions.
The ending was a surprise and yet not really. The story looks at the interweaving of the past and present, of how small vacillations, even non action can effect the future. That I am forced to reflect on all that goes on long after I finished reading further commends this story by Olafsson to me. At its heart it is dark and yet the light enters, just in rather different ways.
I must say I like the cover, the brooding church with all that space around it, slightly menacing, a shadow on the landscape.

A HarperCollins ARC via NetGalley

[Bandit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now here is a book I loved, a book that drew me in from the very first page and held my attention and affection completely for the duration. Completely demolishing the myth of soulless business executives, Olaf Olafsson (who served or still does as an Executive VP of Time Warner) has created a book with so much soul, it practically spills out of its pages. Maybe it’s the Iceland shining through, the is indeed something distinctly Nordic about this book, despite the author’s obvious Americanization, the narrative has a crisp quality and stark beauty, a singular economy and precision of language very specific to Scandinavian fiction. It’s a fjord of a story. Although not entirely set in Iceland, the narrative splits between the continent, where the protagonist is from and the small distant island that is inextricably linked to the most significant events of her life. It’s been a small and quiet life for her, decades and decades dedicated to church, what started as an interest in theology to improve understanding of her thoughts and desires and led to being a nun. The first life defining event occurred while still in school where she met an Icelandic girl that has haunted her thoughts ever since. Then, decades later, being sent to investigate claims of abuse at a Catholic school in Iceland constitutes the second major event. And now for the third and final act, a couple more decades later, she returns to Iceland at a request of the child who witnessed a death all those years ago. It is through these interconnected events that Sister Johanna will come to know and define her faith, her love, her own self. Such a terrific story, a quiet story of a personal journey albeit with one major startlingly loud note in between, something of a plot twist presumably allowing for referring to this as a literary thriller. That isn’t what it was for me. For me, it was a terrific mediation on the nature of love and faith, featuring a fascinating complex character. I’m not at all an emotional person, but this novel got to me, engaged me on a level few stories do. There was a certain transportive quality to it. The sort of thing you look for always and seldom find with books. Profoundly affective tale of love, redemption, faith, justice and finding meaning in life. Yes, that’s pretty generic, kind of reductive, the book is so much more and deserves so much more, but that’s all the words I’m finding right now, because sometimes a good book can stun you into ineloquence and you just want to go…this is terrific, I love it, over and over again. Suffice it to say this was one of the finest, most engaging works of literature I’ve read in a long time. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

[MacWithBooksonMountains Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do brilliant, prepossessing people and (their) literature have in common? Both are able to change the minds and hearts of people. The Sacrament by Olaf Olafsson did no less than that for me.
This is even more surprising as I generally have a hard time identifying myself with a protagonist whose orientation and character is virtually diametrically opposite to my own. Although Olaf Olafsson’s Sister Joanna is such a character, I find myself thoroughly intrigued, again. When in the sparse, unadorned prose of the author - Olafsson manages here the so sought-after but not often acquired casual effectiveness of a great literary writer - Sister Joanna opens to us her emotional life, her joys and preoccupations, I am hooked. ​​​​​​​​​​ Women, men, old, young or undead, straight or gay, this author manages to connect us, to understand each other through those poignant strands that weave together into that we call human condition. What is the definition of great literature? Exactly that – in my humble opinion.
Excerpt: “Batman would save him, just as he had so often in the past, and together they would set off on an adventure, down streets and alleyways, to the harbor and out over the city—ready to assist anyone who might be in distress. The boy held his breath as his friend took to the air. Bracing his elbows on the sill, he lifted himself up to watch the dark figure swoop down from the tower, wings flapping. For a moment, he felt a surge of hope, as well as the thrill of confirmation, for he had always feared that Batman existed only in his comic books and his imagination. But then, in the blink of an eye, his hopes were dashed, as his hero's wings appeared to falter, and he flipped over and plummeted, landing on the turf with a dull thud.”
In a perverse case of inverted dramatic irony, through the eyes of a young boy, we witness a priest tumbling to his death from a church tower but are not told by the narrator, Sister Joanna, as to the role she plays in the incident. Initiated by this terrible incident, we are treated to a solid yet imaginative plotline told from Sister Joanna’s perspective reminiscent of a duel between the past and present as she tells her story flailing and riposting back and forth through time. What makes it even more enticing is the boy’s suffering at the hands of an overzealous, self-righteous mother superior and the convent school’s headmaster remain shrouded and shadowy not only to the protagonist but also to the reader until the last chapter when said boy had grown to be a man.
In the meantime, Sister Joanna shares with the reader her first realizations of her “otherness” and the alienation this brought with it in a time when being “straight” was the only sexual orientation accepted. Growing up in the 1960s as Pauline, the young woman was barred from asking straightforward questions which were taboo in a typical family of the time when same-sex love was by law considered criminal. In an attempt to understand her own feelings, Pauline attempts to understand her “otherness” by reading all the books she can find on the then closeted subject. When she meets a young Islandic woman in Paris, a beautiful love story develops which Pauline eventually feels forced to sacrifice on the altar of social acceptability. Pressured into social conformity, she feels the only way out of “sin” is for her to isolate herself in a cloister, become Sister Joanna and have faith in God who will let her overcome her “sin against humanity and God”.
But the past leaves indelible marks on us, and it certainly does not remain at rest, so when 20 years later Sister Joanna reflects on “both the alleys of joy and the furrows of despair she was allowed to walk through the grace of God” an anonymous letter forces her to confront the past, once more. I will leave it at that as this ought to be a review not to be a spoiler masked as a summary.
This reader then brings to the point Olafsson assertion with the following aphorism: “The past never returns – it doesn’t have to for it never leaves.”
Literary devices such as flashbacks, memories and the steps we take to deal with them are the salt of any writer worth his craft but Olaf Olafsson shows us in his subtle yet so brilliant ways how subjective our memory really is. It is not the factual past that influences and affects our present condition, rather it is our take on it, which is in turn dictated to us by our memories – as faulty and incomplete as they often are. In the end, this reader is left to wonder: What is the true nature of my faith when I cannot even trust my own memory and by extension my own past.

[Mike Salerno · Rating 2 out of 5]

This author took an awful long time to tell a very simple story. The non-use of punctuation quotes for dialog is not one of my favorite formats. It makes the book tedious to read. The whole story was based on a letter that was never revealed in the book!! What is up with that. First time reading from Olaf. I may or may not give him another try.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Time frequently stands still, even though the years fly by, and before we know it things have come to an end. Sometimes, I feel I have traveled a long road only to end up where I started”. p277

What a sombre, haunting, evocative and poetic story Olaf Olafsson has told in his novel, The Sacrament. Set in both Iceland and France, Olafsson weaves two sometimes three timelines seamlessly, lyrically composing a compelling story of faith, doubt, love, hope, justice and redemption.

The Sacrament is a story told through the life of Sister Johanna Marie, a nun sent by the Vatican to explore allegations of abuse at a Catholic school in Reykjavík, Iceland. In some ways Iceland represented a defining aspect of Sister Johanna’s life, the place where ultimately the deepest questions and yearnings of her soul found something resembling answers. Olafsson painstakingly portrays a story of abuse allegations that are fraught with barriers at every turn leading to an ultimate act of resolution. Sadly, although this story is a work of fiction it ultimately reflects events that are grounded in the reality of so many.

The journey that Sister Johanna takes from France to Iceland is kind of like a metaphorical journey of the soul. Iceland is the perfect setting, both winter and summer, for the mood, atmosphere and reflection of the story. I was particularly intrigued by the location in Reykjavík itself as on a personal note this is the exact area that I stayed when I visited Iceland a few years ago. It was amazing to revisit the streets I walked and stayed on and this kept me riveted to the pages.

I wrote down so many excerpts from this book. The whole story is like a narrative of the soul. Sister Johanna is in so many ways a tortured and conflicted woman, her faith is called into question and she wrestles her own inner demons. While these are somewhat resolved they remain open ended and questioned throughout the story which adds a real authenticity.

I loved this book so much. It was really evocative for me. 5 stars easily.

[Siri Chateaubriand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read a NYT review of this book I ordered a sample. After reading it I immediately ordered the book and continued into the night, reluctantly putting it down to get some sleep. In the morning I picked it up again and finished it pretty much 24 hours after I had started. I'm not sure why a story about a middle-aged nun, tormented by feelings of having wasted her life, and sent to Iceland on a mission to verify an accusation of abuse, should be so fascinating, but it was. Beautifully told, juggling several time periods without missing a beat, this novel was a delightful surprise.

[MM Suarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

"In the end, the tide of forgetfulness washes over us all. The words we spoke no longer echo in anyone’s head, the things we left unsaid no longer matter."

This is my second novel by this author and I am absolutely blown away by the depth and beauty of his writing. I am not going to say much about this beautiful story, as anyone can read the blurb and get an idea of what it is about, however, there is so much more here. There are two timelines going on and two intersecting stories, and I sure did not see the ending coming, I loved it!

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this Icelandic mystery. I thought this was going to be a Nordic noir kind of book, but it really didn't have that feel to me. There aren't any grisly murders or oppressive winters, and although the subject of child abuse comes up, it's not described and not done in any sort of gratuitous way. It's handled very well, and I'm really happy about that because I did not want to read anything like that. I like a good Nordic noir, but I wasn't disappointed with what this turned out to be.

This is more of a slow-burning mystery, and it flips between France and Iceland. I loved Sister Johanna, especially the relationship she has with her dog, and I thought the story itself was pretty fascinating. The book juggles three time frames, so it was a bit confusing at times, but it wasn't enough to make me dislike the book or get so lost that I didn't know what was going on.

Very well written, and I'd definitely read more from this author in the future.


A super big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review!! :)

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping, emotive literary accomplishment. Most highly recommended. Complete review to be posted closer to the publication date of 12/3/2019.

[Maureen Grigsby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book! It has mood, a sense of place, and the sins of the Catholic Church. Stunning writing.

[Brandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a very gloomy tone, which I guess is appropriate! It just seemed a little slow and it dealt with very depressing and horrific events! The book itself wasn’t gory and didn’t detail those events thankfully or it would have been even more melancholic than it already is. In the end, it was slow going and if I was reading the actual book, I’m not sure I would have finished. Since I listened to the audio while chores I don’t think it was a complete waste of time but it was very heartbreaking from beginning to end. I gave three stars because even though it was gloomy and slow I liked the resolution.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was pretty good but I struggled too long with the bouncing through time. The novel takes place during 3 different periods, but sometimes without indication of where or when until later in the chapter. It would have helped to give chapter titles with a location and date, but that isn’t the author’s way.

[Julian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid story about a nun, Johanna, sent to Iceland to investigate a sexual abuse scandal at a Catholic school. There are three different timelines running in parallel. It can be a bit confusing at times because the author does not tell you explicitly when there is a jump. He puts the onus on the reader.

It all makes sense at the end. The end was a bit predictable , when we learn Johanna killed the abuser, but the joy was in the journey and all the tribulations, past and present, that our hero is struggling with.

Very enjoyable and well written.

[Marty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I put off writing this review because I wasn't sure what to say. I picked this up completely at random because I have an obsession with Icelandic literature. I thought it might be okay, maybe good if I was lucky. Now it's one of my favorite books so far this year.

"Tender" is not the adjective I was expecting to return to so often, but here we are. This book deals with a lot of heavy subjects, but the nuance sells it. It doesn't feel exploitative or contrived, even though the subject matter easily could have gone that way. I'm not religious by any stretch of the imagination, but reading this book made me understand why someone might be. It's gentle and delicate and reverent in all the right ways, without being preachy.

Also. The queer content is spectacular. It's understated, and don't go looking for happy endings. But there were several times where I had to put the book down and gaze into middle distance for a while because this book *gets* it. Every queer kid knows the feeling of being so in love and wanting to say something, but you can't say something because then they would know, but you want them to know, but then they'd KNOW and -- I'm getting off track here. The point is, the gay yearning in this book is enough to kill a person.

And then the ending hits you. Honestly, I don't think it's supposed to be a huge surprise, but there is a little twist and it knocked me flying. The layers run deep with this one. In all, I can't recommend it enough. It's captivating, breathtaking, and so, so tender.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tackled a number of issues in interesting settings, Iceland and Paris, however it was confusing for about the first half of the book whether we were in the present, the past, or distant past. The author did that on purpose to add to the suspense but i found it confusing. I liked the character development and felt like they were real people. I may go back and read it again, but feel its a 3 1/2 star book.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I think this is a very interesting story line, about abuse in the Catholic Church, and one nun's mission to investigate it, I thought the writing was very confusing. The whole story was rather hard to follow.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sister Johanna learned to speak Icelandic when she and Halla roomed together in school many years ago. About twenty years in ago, she made a trip to Iceland to investigate alleged abuse in the school. Two events marked that time. The parish priest fell from the bell tower during her visit, and she found a boy in a broom closet. In the present she goes back to Iceland to talk with a young man who wishes to speak specifically with her although she'd rather remain at her convent tending the her rose garden and minding her dog George Harrison. The story weaves between the time periods. It can be difficult to distinguish if one doesn't pay attention to the text breaks. The beautifully written text paints a poignant picture of the understated abuse and of reflection on an unpleasant time. Sister Johanna's struggles with sexuality emerge as a secondary theme in the book.

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🌟 Very well written story.