Reviews for The heart keeper

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Dahl follows her critically acclaimed debut, The Boy at the Door (2018), by weaving another tautly constructed web around two mothers and one child. Kaia is the recipient of the heart of Alison's daughter, who drowned at the beach when Alison dozed off in the summer sun. The grim darkness of the following Norwegian winter finds a drug-and-liquor-infused Alison struggling to resolve her guilt. Christmas brings some light back into her life when she learns about Kaia through a newspaper holiday feature, and what follows is a story that will make the reader's heart ache and skip a few beats as Alison inserts herself into the girl's life and eventually manipulates everyone, particularly Kaia's desperate mother, Iselin, into believing that Alison deserves to take the girl. Crisp and insightful prose drives a first-person narrative, related in turn by Alison and Iselin, that turns slowly sinister as it draws to a haunting conclusion. Recommended for Scandinavian-noir collections and fans appreciative of Picoult-like emotionally compelling fiction.--Jane Murphy Copyright 2019 Booklist


Publishers Weekly
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Told by two suffering mothers, this sad, wild, alarming tale from Norwegian author Dahl (The Boy at the Door) is all too plausible. Alison and her husband are grieving over the drowning of their five-year-old daughter, Amelie. Alison is close to losing it, despite therapy and her heavy use of pills and alcohol. Meanwhile, Iselin, a single welfare mother, has waged a seven-year battle caring for her daughter, Kaia, who was born with a life-threatening heart problem. Then Kaia receives a new heart from a girl who drowned. As she begins to blossom into a happy, active child, Iselin's burdens lift. When Alison hears about the phenomenon of cellular memory whereby organ recipients can take on characteristics of donors, she becomes obsessed with finding the bearer of Amelie's heart. On learning it's Kaia, she quickly insinuates herself into Kaia and Iselin's life, as best friend, benefactor-and keen observer of Kaia's emerging Amelie-isms. To Alison it's clear: Kaia is more her child than Iselin's, and she alone deserves the girl. This psychological thriller may also be a horror story, but one that feels natural-if utterly unhinged. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Agency. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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