Just Finished Reading Astrid and Veronika by Linda Olsson

Linda Olsson, born and raised in Sweden and now living in New Zealand, just happened to write her first novel Astrid and Veronika (originally titled Let Me Sing You Gentle Songs) about two Swedish women, one of whom lived for a while in New Zealand.  But these women, 81-year old Astrid and 32-year old Veronika, have widely divergent histories, experiences...and personalities...as they meet and become close friends and confidants...

Astrid is a recluse in her rural Swedish village whose husband, whom she detests and had wed in an arranged marriage brokered by her father decades earlier, is dying in a nearby nursing home.  Rarely going out, she notices a new neighbor in the house facing her, a young woman.  Veronika, an aspiring writer, has just moved back to Sweden from New Zealand.  The two women inevitably cross paths and meet, and discover each other's tragic life stories as they enjoy their walks and meals together.  Although very different in temperament, they reveal that each one lost her mother in childhood, Astrid's through death and Veronika's from abandonment.  Astrid did have an early love in her life, but he tragically died.  Veronika was in love, too...well, maybe you should read this book to get all the details, I don't want to reveal everything...

I didn't particularly enjoy Astrid and Veronika, but then again I don't believe that's always necessary in order to get something of value from a book.  It gave me a model of what a good, mutual friendship based on empathy and prioritizing the other's preferences and feelings can look like...and the people involved can be different.  Courtesy does not always mean formality...it can help people come together who otherwise would be inclined to keep to themselves.  There was honesty in both women when they discussed their pasts, and they respectfully, patiently, and sympathetically listened to each other...even during some very difficult sections.  The story was set in our present time, but there were many flashbacks as Astrid and Veronika told their stories...

I think the author did a good job of delineating each woman's personality and making it consistent with their past and present behavior...not always an easy thing to do.  Astrid and Veronika is not escapist literature and as such may not attract the kind of reading audience that flocks to more popular works.  I'm glad I read it...you may find yourself loving it or hating it, it's that type of book...