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Saskia Vogel
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The White City: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Karolina Ramqvist (Author), Saskia Vogel (Translator) Format: Kindle Edition
3.6 out of 5 stars 37 ratings
An award-winning Scandinavian novel of one woman’s struggle to pull herself and her daughter from the grasp of a criminal past. “A literary tour de force” (Mystery Scene).
 
A celebrated bestseller in Sweden, and the winner of the prestigious Per Olov Enquist Literary Prize, The White City is an arresting story of betrayal and empowerment as a criminal’s girlfriend is left behind to pick up the pieces of her imploded existence.
 
Karin knew what she was getting herself into when she fell for John, a high-flying wheeler-dealer. But she never imagined things would turn out like this: John is gone and the coke-filled parties, seemingly endless flow of money, and high social status have been replaced by cut telephone lines, cut heat, and cut cash. All that remains of Karin’s former life is the mansion he bought for her—and his daughter, the child Karin once swore she would never bring into their dangerous world.
 
Now she is on her own with baby Dream. As the authorities zero in on organized crime, John’s shady legacy is catching up with her. Over the course of a few days, Karin is forced to take drastic measures to claim what she considers rightfully hers . . .
 
“The ghostly Scandinavian setting and [protagonist] Karin’s closely narrated sense of impending doom . . . make Swedish star Ramqvist’s English-language debut an atmospheric and suspenseful read.” —Booklist
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  1. Print length
    130 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Black Cat
  4. Publication date
    February 7, 2017
  5. File size
    1.6 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A literary tour de force . . . Ramqvist knows how the heart works. And although her book is short . . . it displays an abundance of lyrical writing.” ―Mystery Scene Magazine

“Ramqvist crafts a story of sparse detail that moves at a rapid pace . . . This page-turner shows one young woman’s struggle to face harsh realities.” ―Susanne Wells, Library Journal

“The White City is rich in language and ambience. Moody, mysterious, maternal and magnetic . . . it is a haunting novel of a woman adrift yet firmly attached to romantic memories of her lover and the simple needs of her daughter . . . Ramqvist is a serious contender for the Swedish literary limelight.” ―Shelf Awareness

“The ghostly Scandinavian setting and [protagonist] Karin’s closely narrated sense of impending doom, baby cooing patiently at her hip, make Swedish star Ramqvist’s English-language debut an atmospheric and suspenseful read.” ―Booklist

“Though the plot of Ramqvist’s English debut may make it sound like a crime thriller, the pace is lulling, the writing sensuous and patiently observed . . . the book feels, more than any thriller, like an allegory of parenting . . . Delicate and unsparing.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“Full of suspense and beautifully written dreamlike sequences . . . [The White City] will have a lasting impact on readers.” ―Publishers Weekly

“The White City is the first novel I have read that follows the adventures of a dyad, a character with two bodies not one, a mother, Karin, and her nursing, still speechless infant, Dream. Ramqvist’s acute rendering of embodied sensual experience combined with her evocation of her double character’s increasingly desperate circumstances create a story of high tension, startling insights, and lasting resonance.” ―Siri Hustvedt, author of The Blazing World

“A stirring portrait of human melancholy that fills a Swedish winter with fear, grace, and urgency.” ―Rebecca Dinerstein, author of The Sunlit Night

“Karolina Ramqvist writes with frosty precision the kind of literature that is unforgettable. Her portraits of women hit deep into bone and marrow.” ―Dorthe Nors, author of So Much for That Winter and Karate Chop

About the Author

Karolina Ramqvist is one of the most influential feminists and writers of her generation in Sweden. She has published several novels, short stories, essays, and criticism in leading political and literary publications, and she is the former editor-in-chief of Arena magazine. She lives in Stockholm with her husband and children. The White City is her English debut.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01LFQ3LEO
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Black Cat (February 7, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 7, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.6 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 130 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.6 out of 5 stars 37 ratings

About the author

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Saskia Vogel

Saskia Vogel

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Saskia Vogel is a writer and literary translator from Los Angeles. She has written on the themes of gender, power, and sexuality for publications such as Granta, The White Review, The Offing, and The Quietus. Her translations include work by leading Swedish female authors, such as Katrine Marçal, Karolina Ramqvist and the modernist eroticist Rut Hillarp. Previously, she worked in London as Granta magazine’s global publicist and in Los Angeles as an editor at the AVN Media Network, where she reported on the business of pornography and adult pleasure products. She holds degrees in film, comparative literature, and writing from Brunel University, the University of Southern California, and University College London.

Customer reviews

3.6 out of 5 stars
37 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • K
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great
    Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Enjoyed this fast-paced mystery novel. Perfect balance of information revealed at the right pace. Hope to read more from this author and translator.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • PIA
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2017
    This is one of the most claustrophobic books that I've read, but it's a mental sensation I got, not a physical one.

    Karin is living with her baby daughter Dream in a big, isolated house. There's no heat, it's dirty and there's almost nothing to eat. Her partner was some kind of big criminal (he's no longer in the picture) and despite his promises of nothing bad ever happening to them, she's alone and none of his "business partners" has done anything to help her. He's gone and she's alone and broke. Also, the authorities have already told her they're taking the house and the car from her.

    The sensation of everything closing in around her is real, as she travels to the city, white with snow, to search for John's friends and partners and find out if there's any money left for her.

    You can feel Karin's physical discomfort, her almost mental breakdown, the cold and the grime surrounding her. But just when everything seems to be against her, she finds the resources and help to turn everything around.

    I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Kayem
    2.0 out of 5 stars Dreary and repetitive
    Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2017
    I can only hope this book came off better in the original Swedish. Basically, a tedious and repetitive litany of squalor, self-pity, and body-fluid issues starring a super-dependent protagonist with no ability, and apparently no wish, to take care of herself (how did that poor infant survive?). Maybe there is some kernel of deep meaning: Karin pleading for sustenance from others, while her child does the same with her. While the descriptive passages were flowing and evocative, the writing was often awkward--pronouns that left me guessing at the referent, and the use of the baby's name, Dream, to the point that I wanted to Scream. That can be put down to the skill of translation.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Bonnye Reed Fry
    5.0 out of 5 stars fast read
    Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2017
    I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Karolina Ramqvist, translator Saskia Vogel and Grove Atlantic, Grove Press, Black Cat in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all, for sharing your hard work with me.

    This is an excellent short novel, a fast read and a plot that won't let you loose. There is no way you can call it anything but dark, but it is dark that works very well. I will watch for this author in future.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Youtoo
    5.0 out of 5 stars A stylish page turner.
    Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2017
    This book deserves more attention. It is a cross between Raymond Carver and Hemingway, an emotional, despairing crime story about a mother and her baby, with no sentimentality. It reads like a classic. Beautifully written, utterly compelling. A stylish page turner.
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