Let Me Sing You Gentle Songs by Linda Olsson

BOOK REVIEW

Many thanks to Penny and our Book Club members for telling me about this lovely novel by a Swedish-born novelist.

I found this to be a beautifully written, gentle story about life, grief, loss and friendship.

The writer creates a melancholic aura which becomes a peaceful narrative with the seasons as great supporting characters in their own right.

Through Olsson’s writing you can feel the cold of the depths of Winter and the warm sunlight in the change of season; the unpredictable weather, the silence, the night sky, the moose and the owls, the firs and the paths, the sun reflecting its healing rays across the open fields, the confessions, the pain of the past, the doubts of the future.

Mother Nature is standing still, waiting for the words that need to be spoken and heard.

We experience early Spring days and nights, flowerbeds along the fence, daffodils among the weeds, the warmth of the kitchen and the smells from cooking.

There are serene Summer evenings, with ducklings born, the sipping of teas, watching the rivers and the birch, cherry and apple trees.

There’s darkness in the uncertain Autumn afternoons, the tri colour of leaves that paint the landscape in colour.

And in the bitter cold of Winter, when candles are glowing on the snow and in the houses at night, there is the cosy light streaming through the window.

Veronika is 32 and moves to a small town and her only close neighbour is Astrid, who is 81.

Over wine, music and stories the friendship develops and much is shared of their grief and history.

As the birch trees murmur to each other, the two women of Olsson’s beautiful tale start shaking old feathers.

Astrid has not had much contact with people for many years and has been labelled a witch by the locals.

She begins to unburden her soul as the midnight sun paints nature in luminous, tender colours until Winter comes again, signalling a new beginning.

We read confessions about motherhood and womanhood, about loneliness and voluntary isolation, about dreams born and thwarted.

There are heartbreaking moments, moments that take your breath away, moments when the tears flow freely and unbidden.

The book is about life’s cruel tendency to alter everything in the blink of an eye when we’re left alone to pick up the broken pieces.

The silence of the Swedish Summer makes their words travel far, entering our hearts.

Poignant and heartwarming, the novel evokes a quiet mood, like experiencing saudade in the middle of a heavy rainfall.

Astrid tells Veronika: “Love comes to us with no forewarning, and once given to us it can never be taken away”.

I love that this is about us remembering that love is a gift.

It may come in a quiet fashion, but will remain in our hearts forever.

It is rare that an author can mix fiction with poetry, and it is such a rare talent.

Linda Olsson paints a picture with her words; I plan to read her other books.

This is an exquisite commentary on the value of friendship between women and what an old woman and a young one can learn from one another.

Julie Chessman