We Know You Remember

A Novel (The High Coast Series, Book 1)

By: Tove Alsterdal

Narrated by: Hillary Huber

Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

“Beautifully elegiac and intricately plotted, this is Nordic noir at its best." (People)

Winner of the Glass Key Award for Best Nordic Crime Novel • Best Swedish Crime Novel of the Year • Shortlisted for the Best Swedish Book of the Year Award • One of People Magazine’s Best Books of Fall

A missing girl, a hidden body, a decades-long cover-up, and old sins cast in new light: The classic procedural meets Scandinavian atmosphere in this rich, character-driven mystery, awarded Best Swedish Crime Novel of the Year, that heralds the American debut of a supremely skilled international writer.

It’s been more than 20 years since Olof Hagström left home. Returning to his family’s house, he knows instantly that something is amiss. The front door key, hidden under a familiar stone, is still there. Inside, there’s a panicked dog, a terrible stench, water pooling on the floor: The father Olaf has not seen or spoken to in decades is dead in the bathroom shower.

For Police Detective Eira Sjödin, the investigation of this suspicious death resurrects long-forgotten nightmares. She was only nine when Olof Hagström, then 14, was found guilty of raping and murdering a local girl. The case left a mark on the town’s collective memory - a wound that never quite healed - and tinged Eira’s childhood with fear. Too young to be sentenced, Olof was sent to a youth home and exiled from his family. He was never seen in the town again. Until now.

An intricate crime narrative in which past and present gracefully blend, We Know You Remember is a relentlessly suspenseful and beautifully written novel about guilt and memory in which nothing is what it seems, and unexpected twists upend everything you think you know.

©2021 Tove Alsterdal (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

narraror

I loved the book, but couldn't you have found SOMEONE who has a passing relationship with Swedish?? a high school thespian would probably do a better job

A breath of fresh air

Unlike most "Nordic noir" books this one is not marked by a hero with a superior moral compass, no rosy outcomes or better than life characters. On the one hand there's no gore, on the other it leaves a lingering feeling of bleakness and injustice since as it succeeds in portraying real life.
Nevertheless it's a great book, very different to the rest.

Okay but forgettable

Not terrible, not particularly good. It helped kill a few hours while I was doing chores but I feel like I’ve already forgotten the story 15 minutes after finishing it.

Narrator sounds like a GPS

I couldn't listen to the end of the first chapter. The narrator sounds so much like am automated voice, I had to google her just to see if she was a real person. Will read the hard copy.

New author

I was well pleased with this new writer. Like a lot of the Scandinavian stories it is sometimes challenging to keep the names straight. But overall good job

couldn't adjust to narrator

I wanted to like it. I tried 4 different times. Great subject which I thought could be really entertaining, but the pace and tone of the narrator didn't hold my attention. I'm sure others might enjoy the pace & tone.

Awful

The story is stupid and predictable. It was a impossible to care about the cardboard characters. The narrator sounded like artificial intelligence, very flat and robotic. The only redeeming value is that I used it to help me fall asleep. BORING.

Underwhelming

That’s all. It was disappointing at best. I hoped for much more considering the reviews but for the first time I was led astray. But it is always subjective so am happy for the author and all those who did enjoy it. The narrator did a good job.