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The
reviewer:
Elaine is 35 and lives in Armley.
Reading
habits:
I enjoy reading pretty much anything. I like horror, crime,
mystery, thriller, fantasy, historical romance, children's
books and arts related books, epecially drama and poetry.
Some of my favourite authors are James Morrow, Ray Bradbury,
Stephen King, C.S. Lewis, Charles Dickens, Alan Bennett, &
Joolz.
The
author:
Eva-Marie Liffner
Previous
books:
Eva-Marie Liffner was born in Gothenburg, where she still
lives. Camera, her first novel, has been awarded several prizes
in Sweden including The Swedish Detective Novel Academy Award
for First Novel and the Poloni Prize for female crime writers.
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| Camera |
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A
photographer dies leaving all his belongings, amongst them
many notes and photographs, to his niece.
Intrigued
by her inheritance Johanna Hall decides to investigate the
secrets of her uncle's early life. Travelling to London, where
her uncle had lived and trained in his youth, she uncovers
a macabre history laced with scandal.
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Jacob
dies and leaves his all his worldly possessions to his favourite
niece, Johanna.
For
years they lie undisturbed until a failed relationship causes her
to retreat to his flat. There she unearths a journal written in
code and a handful of photographs.
These
objects send her on a journey which may cause her to re-evaluate
everything she knew about her uncle.
At
the heart of the story is 17 Landsdowne Rd, the home of the Theosophist
Society, where Pastor Charles Leadbeater began a fateful series
of experiments to prove the existence of the soul, including an
attempt to capture it on film.
A collage
of information in the form of photographs, newpaper and crime reports,
letters, journals and personal recollections develop into a complete
picture of the past. The book intertwines Jacob's early experiences
and Johanna's subsequent investigations.
Like
the 'Camera' of the title, both narrators observe and record, rather
than react to events.
Eva Marie Liffner is adept at bringing the past to life, her imagery
is crisp yet vivid and her prose direct.
There
are some oddities in the narration, possibly due to translation
from her original Swedish, but on the whole these do not detract
from the story. An interesting read.
Elaine
Saul
Camera
is available now.
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