Angel in the Snow

‘It won’t be long now,’ Idun said. ‘You don’t have to arrange anything for me,’ I said. Idun smiled. ‘Of course we do,’ Idun said. ‘No, it’s fine,’ I said. ‘Are you afraid it will be too much fuss?’ I gave a slight nod. ‘Are you in a lot of pain?’ Another nod.‘But don’t tell dad anything,’ I said.

It’s winter, and it’s snowing, but not everyone is out playing in the snow. Someone can’t do anything but stand at the window looking out at the snow crystals. Someone doesn’t want dad to know that something hurts, even though dad knows that one’s ill, seriously ill. Someone is soon going to have a birthday. Someone is soon going to die.

«Sometimes the most low-voiced stories are the best at producing great emotions … In everything that is not elaborated on, in all the unspoken things and in the empty rooms - lie this short and small (but large) book’s quality and ability to move the reader … Totland’s low-voiced and snow-filled young adult novel is a quiet storm – a raw and gripping read.»