From the blurb:
Veronika, a young writer from New Zealand, rents a house in a small village in the midst of a harsh Swedish winter. She has come here alone hoping to come to terms with the recent tragedy while finishing her latest novel.. Her arrival is observed by Astrid, her elderly, reclusive neighbor who harbors a dark secret from her past. Astrid offers Veronika companionshio in her grief, and the two embark on an unusual and enexpected friendship. As the seasons change around them, Astrid and Veronika slowly reveal their stories to one another, and what happens between them over the course of a year will change both their lives forever.

This book really touched me, and I cried my way through it.
To me it was a comfort that two people who had experienced a lot of pain could help each other out of their isolated worlds. I only hope that people like that excist in the real life as well.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

A very late Christmas present! Enjoy.

Received from my good friend Haugtussa in the post today as a wonderful surprise and not arriving too late really. I will be reading this shortly as it looks like a read "right up my street" - many thanks Haugtussa :-)

I loved this book too - a gem. Beautifully written, poignant, liberating, sad yet hopeful. Mixed emotions but a wonderful unhurried story about a friendship most of us would envy. Thank you Haugtussa for thinking of me for this. I will sit on this for a short while to dip into every now and then (there are some wonderful lines I wanted to note but need to find again!) before moving on simply because this story needs sharing.