I should have sensed that it was unhealthy for my relationship with Carrie. If Eva ever came out of the coma, a reaction would be inevitable. New tensions and attractions would develop. Carrie was right – I acted as if Eva was a close friend or relative, when in fact I’d only met her for a couple of days. Was I turning her into more than she was? I couldn’t help thinking that Eva had activated a side of me that thrived on danger and that risked emerging again if she came out of the coma.
I thought I’d done it. I thought I’d resumed a normal life, but I hadn’t. Finding my father’s book of portraits at the yacht club reminded me again of what had happened. I couldn’t stop looking at the faces of the refugees. I would stare apathetically for hours. Was it the knowledge that most of them had suffered a horrible death in Boeck’s ice cage? Was it because they reminded me of the men I’d killed? Was it their smiles, the wrinkles? Was it my father’s eye? The way they’d looked into his? They all looked so alive – so real – and I couldn’t stop going back to them, not until Thor and I made a trip to visit Anna’s parents on the Black Sea. They told us about her dreams. We told them about my father. It helped.
Acknowledgements
First of all, apologies to the Ålanders for inflicting such fictional violence upon your gorgeous archipelago. I have also taken some liberties with the geography and the facts of local life. Let’s call it poetic license. But I hope that the book still shows why no one should miss a chance to visit the wonderful world of Åland.
A special tack to the Mariehamn tourist office and to Peter at the youth hostel in Eckerö for their anecdotes and advice. I’ll be back for more.
Infinite thanks to the people who read the manuscript and gave me feedback – Rosalind Mendel, Mark Hayhurst, Sue Jones, Rebecca Servadio and especially my agent Sonia Land for all the constructive comments.
And to Lindsay for your ultra stimulation. I couldn’t have completed the journey without your support and sharp sense of character.
About the author
Olivier Nilsson-Julien is a film and television writer, cycling journalist, film lecturer and translator. The Ice Cage is his first novel. He loves skating on Dutch canals, swimming in Swedish lakes and grinding up French mountain roads. A member of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, he lives in North London with his wife and children.
Feedback
Comments are always welcome. Please use the contact form at the following address: http://www.onilssonjulien.com/agent.html
Magnus Series
The Ice Cage is the first book in a series. The second instalment will be published in 2013.
The Ice Cage — A Scandinavian Crime Thriller set in the Nordic Winter (The Baltic Trilogy) Page 21