Resenhas - Silenced

Lina DC 03/09/2019

"Silenced" is the second book in the Fredrika Bergman & Alex Recht series and is narrated in third person. The first part of the plot is called "In the Beginning," where a young woman is picking flowers in a meadow, complaining about the fact that her parents took her inland to celebrate the solstice.

During the walk of the young woman, whose identity is not revealed, her thoughts ramble about youth problems such as parties and friendships, but also about the fact that parents shelter people in their basement. As the narrative continues, the young woman encounters someone she already knows and suffers violence that will mark her forever ...

"When the car stopped at the door of the house, she was still lying in the meadow, unable to get up. The clouds seemed to perform a clumsy ballet against the blue sky. The world seemed unchanged, though her private world had shattered forever. She lay there until she was absent and they went looking for her. By the time they met her, she had already become someone else. " (p. 10)

In "Today" the reader is transported to Stockholm and accompanies Jakob Ahlbin, a religious man who is giving a talk in favor of immigrants, a controversial issue in the country. Shortly thereafter he and his wife are found dead in the apartment and at first glance it looks like homicide followed by suicide. According to the few people close to the couple, one of their daughters died a few days ago of an overdose and that would have been the trigger of the crime.

It is in this context that Alex's team comes into the picture and find that the case is much more complex than imagined. In addition, the team goes through a very complicated personal moment. Frederika is in advanced pregnancy and feeling ill with each stage of pregnancy, Peder divorced; The wife found out about the betrayals while she suffered from postpartum depression and Alex has a feeling that his wife is hiding something from him.

The Criminal Investigation Department team also has a new member: Joar Sahlin, a man of calm but very observant personality and his presence causes inexplicable discomfort in Peder, who has been acting out of control lately.

Frederika is trying to balance the new stage in her life. At 35, pregnant and suffering from insomnia, nightmares, and an undefined relationship with Spencer Lagergren, a 25-year-old male college professor and married. The work is also heavy. Heinous crimes, victims and their relatives, and not yet fully accepted in the police department as a civilian. Frederika is about to collapse ...

Parallel to the story unfolding in Stockholm, we have a secondary plot set in Bangkok, Thailand, where "she" is conducting an investigation into a secret project when she suddenly finds herself "being erased" from the world. Your documents, your emails, your phone and even your contacts in Stockholm are being systematically disconnected. Who is she and why are they doing this?

The plot of this second book is very complex and very well written, and addresses a still controversial subject that is immigration and the rights of immigrants. We have the perspective of other characters who will elucidate this discussion in more detail and make the reader reflect on the topic.

Ten minutes later, when he passed immigration control and was able to enter the country, the thought came back to him. From that point, there was only one way forward: the path that would take him away from life that now, more than never, he knew he left behind forever. " (p. 21)