One of our recommended books is A Question Mark Is Half a Heart by Sofia Lundberg

A QUESTION MARK IS HALF A HEART


How deeply can you love when your heart is full of secrets? A sweeping, propulsive family story about a woman learning to love, from the bustle of New York’s fashion scene to a remote, windswept Swedish island, by the acclaimed author of The Red Address Book—“a love letter to the human heart” (Alyson Richman).

By age fifty, Elin Boals has created a perfect life for herself: her wildly successful business as Manhattan’s preeminent fashion photographer is flourishing. Her handsome, patient husband is devoted to her; her teenaged daughter, Alice, has been accepted to the ballet academy of her dreams.

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How deeply can you love when your heart is full of secrets? A sweeping, propulsive family story about a woman learning to love, from the bustle of New York’s fashion scene to a remote, windswept Swedish island, by the acclaimed author of The Red Address Book—“a love letter to the human heart” (Alyson Richman).

By age fifty, Elin Boals has created a perfect life for herself: her wildly successful business as Manhattan’s preeminent fashion photographer is flourishing. Her handsome, patient husband is devoted to her; her teenaged daughter, Alice, has been accepted to the ballet academy of her dreams. But then Elin receives an innocuous-looking envelope. Folded inside is a star chart, with an address written by a familiar hand.

Shaken, Elin begins to have startling flashbacks to a life very different from the childhood in a Paris bookstore that she has so lovingly recounted to Alice. In these memories, a poverty-stricken little girl cares for her two ragged baby brothers, laughing with her family on the good days, sheltering them from her mother’s sadness and her father’s wrath on the bad days. Elin also remembers vivid walks with a young classmate, Fredrik, whose steadfast friendship and starlit confidences shaped her young life.

As Elin becomes consumed by these memories, her New York life begins to crumble dramatically. Finally, her family’s troubling questions drive her to face, at last, the brutal secret from her past.

At once a heartwarming family story and a page-turning mystery, A Question Mark Is Half a Heart traces a surprising journey across continents to reconciliation, and toward finding a true sense of home.

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  • Harper Perennial
  • Paperback
  • July 2022
  • 320 Pages
  • 9780358697374

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$16.99

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About Sofia Lundberg

Sofia Lundberg is the author of A Question Mark Is Half a HeartSofia Lundberg is a journalist and former magazine editor. Her debut novel, The Red Address Book, was published in 32 territories worldwide. She lives in Stockholm with her son.

Praise

“A warmhearted portrayal of family and forgiveness.” Kirkus Reviews 

“Readers will soak up the suspense as they search for the truth alongside Elin up until the end.” Publishers Weekly

“Elin is a complex character with a compelling story, and Lundberg avoids the obvious resolutions that readers may expect in favor of a deeper exploration of the meaning of love, forgiveness, and family. This satisfying novel will appeal to fans of Lisa Duffy and Patti Callahan Henry.” Booklist

Excerpt

Now


NEW YORK, 2017

 

It’s dusk. Outside the industrial windows, the sun is setting behind the tall buildings. Stubborn rays wedge their way between the facades; like golden spearheads they penetrate the encroaching darkness. Evening again. Elin hasn’t eaten dinner at home in several weeks. She won’t tonight, either. She turns to look at the building just a few blocks away, where she can see the luxuriant vegetation on her very own roof terrace, the red parasol, and the barbecue that’s already been lit. A narrow column of smoke rises toward the sky.


Several hours pass before Elin finally forces herself to leave the studio and all the new shots requiring her attention on the computer. Her phone is full of missed calls and annoyed texts. From Sam, from Alice.

She unlocks her mailbox and takes the stack of letters to the restaurant a few doors down, the local she often goes to after late shoots. Once there, she orders a glass of 1982 Bordeaux. The waiter shakes his head.

I saw your picture in a magazine. You look just the same.

Long time no see. Get in touch!

F