Sister of mine

Brief presentation of ”Sister of mine” (”Syster min”, 1997, ”Zusje van me” in Dutch by De Geus)

Saskia and Klara are twin sisters and they know everything about sisterhood: they share every wish, every failure. But one day Klara disappears. Ten years later Saskia returns from Amsterdam to Stockholms´s archipelago to clear up the family´s summer house. In the attic she finds an old newspaper cutting:

”Yesterday two people were found dead in a house outside Stockholm. The woman, 33, was shot in the head, and the man, 51, in the chest. In connection with the killings a 30-year old woman is reported missing. The police has in this latter case reason to suspect suicide, but a body has not been found and the circumstances sorrounding the disappearence are unclear.”

The shot woman was Desirée Cronenfelt – Klara´s best friend. The man was one of Desirée´s boyfriends. The missing person was Klara.

Saskia also finds a box containing Klara´s diaries, and it turns out that they are addressed to her by starting with the endearment: Sister of mine.

At this time a retired police inspector arrives on the island in the archipelago, the same inspector that once was in charge of the murder case. Finding Saskia there reawakens his interest in what really happened when Klara disappeared.

In due cause the truth about the twin sister unwinds.

Behind the scenes – the writing process for ”Syster min”

I woke up one morning with the first sentenceof a novel ready: ”This is not going to be about me, it is about my sister.” Five YEARS later the novel was ready. I was almost going out of my mind with frustration in order to try to figure out this story. Why does Saskia hide behind her sister Klara, why doesn´t she want to talk about herself? Is it possible to hind one person inside another?

How to tell a story and always have the reader in perfect suspense while never making fun of your caracters, was what I learned from this novel. It was my hardest task so far, and I understood the true craft of writing. I solve problems by walking, and I must have walked around Stockholm a hundred times! Therefore it feels extra nice that this was my break-through internationally, especially in Holland ( ”Susje van me” by De Geus). Before this novel I  thought that it was enough to have a ”beautiful” language. I know understood that story-telling is a great wider spectra than that. Everything is possible – being 2 people at once, fly through time – as long as you know what you are doing and why.