The Spring

From the author of Blackwater comes the second in a series of four novels by renowned Swedish author Kerstin Ekman (trans. by Linda Schenck), following the highly acclaimed Witches' Rings. The Spring, like its predecessor, centers around the lives of women in a small Swedish town during a time of change and unrest. A labor strike, women's suffrage and a food shortage are just a few of the circumstances disrupting the routines of Frida Eriksson, a washerwoman with an unwanted pregnancy, and Tora Otter, a baker who struggles with her cafe and her romantic life. The bleak picture this engrossing novel paints is brightened by touches of empathy and subtle humor.