4/5 Stars
Blurb:
'We don't talk about sick or healthy people at St Patricia's. Words such as hysteric, lunatic and psychopath... They are no longer used. Because who amongst us can say that we are always healthy?'
An underground passage leads from the Dell nursery to Saint Patricia's asylum. Only the children enter, leaving their minders behind. On the other side are their parents - some of the most dangerous psychopaths in the country.
Jan has just started working at the nursery. He is a loner with many secrets and one goal. He must get inside the asylum . . .
What is his connection with one of the inmates, a famous singer?
What really happened when a boy in his care went missing nine years ago?
Who can we trust when everyone has something to hide?
Review:
I didn't know until purchasing the book that it is translated from Swedish. The last translated book I read wasn't the best so I'll admit, I was a little dubious. However, I soon forgot I was reading a translated book, and wouldn't have been any the wiser if it wasn't for certain names and place names. So kudos to Marlaine Delargy, the person who translated the book, you obviously did a great job.
Now, onto the story. Jan Hauger is a pre-school teacher who lands a job in a very different kind of pre-school. One that is attached to a psychiatric hospital. The patients there are criminals, some dangerous and infamous, and Jan is told never to question what goes on there. He is to simply take the children to see their parents on visit day, and bring them back. The problem is, Jan has had his own experience with hospitals, and he's not as innocent as he seems.
The book follows Jan in the modern day, taking care of the children at pre-school, and meeting with his co-workers in the pub at night. It also follows Jan in years previous, as a teenager. Over the chapters, the mystery unravels bit by bit, and I found myself wanting to read on further so I could understand what happened all those years ago to Jan - and why is he so interested with a certain someone in the hospital?
The book's ending certainly took a turn I wasn't expecting. I thought I knew it all, but I really didn't. I always like a book that can catch me off guard, but - and this was the only problem - I also like a book that wraps things up. I'm the kind of person that has to know everything in due time. I don't like surprises or mysteries, I like to be reliably informed. I left the book still wondering what happened to Jan, and while some people might like that, it's what stopped this book from getting a 5 star. Overall though, I enjoyed the mystery and the well thought out plot line from Johan Theorin.
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