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liralen's review against another edition
4.0
Chilly and spare, which seems fitting for a story that takes place mostly in Lapland. It's to Lapland that Clarissa goes in search of answers about her past, but answers are few and far between: for every answer she uncovers, there are a dozen new questions. How do you escape your past, when you're not sure what that past is? How do you come to terms with your family, when your family doesn't want to come to terms with you? Clarissa learns things, but not always the things she'd hoped or expected to, and she ends up following in her mother's footsteps. A dark story in places, but yes, with the Northern Lights as a backdrop.
Spoiler
Her mother abandoned the family in order to reinvent herself; Clarissa ends up leaving her fiancé and her home in order to recreate herself and leave her baggage behind.djhalp111's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
kdferrin's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed [b:The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty|23590710|The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty|Vendela Vida|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1420464581l/23590710._SY75_.jpg|43193453] but I found this one a bit too bleak
decembermum's review against another edition
4.0
A thought provoking story, beautifully written conveying the claustrophobia of living above the arctic circle in days of almost total darkness.
shelfimprovement's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really interesting look into the mind of someone on the verge of a total breakdown. On the day of her father's funeral, Clarissa discovers that he wasn't really her father. Since her mother took off when Clarissa was a teenager, she's left with no one to turn to for answers and travels to Lapland in search of a Sami (Native Laplander) priest whom she believes to be her real father.
I really liked the stark way in which Vida wrote this book. I can't say how it compares to her style in any of her other works, but in this instance I think that it helps to highlight Clarissa's desperation. She is thinking and acting entirely on impulse and so it is unnecessary to clutter her narration with anything other than the thoughts immediately at the forefront of her mind.
The story is somewhat of a strange one. How many novels take their main characters to an Ice Hotel? I didn't mind, though. Once again, I think that it complimented Clarissa's fragile state of mind. Perhaps only a character who is truly on the brink of something could plausibly make her way to an Ice Hotel.
My only complaint about this book is that the ending is somewhat unsatisfying. Clarissa finds out that her mother works at said Ice Hotel and that her true father is the mentally ill second cousin of her traveling companion, who raped Clarissa's mother while they were protesting the construction of a dam together. To add insult to injury, her mother isn't the least bit remorseful for abandoning her family. Upon learning all this, Clarissa decides that she can't really go back to her old life and her fiancee. Even though the mystery had been solved, it didn't feel like there was any real resolution to Clarissa's story. Her journey simply gave her permission to spiral further into her meltdown.
I really liked the stark way in which Vida wrote this book. I can't say how it compares to her style in any of her other works, but in this instance I think that it helps to highlight Clarissa's desperation. She is thinking and acting entirely on impulse and so it is unnecessary to clutter her narration with anything other than the thoughts immediately at the forefront of her mind.
The story is somewhat of a strange one. How many novels take their main characters to an Ice Hotel? I didn't mind, though. Once again, I think that it complimented Clarissa's fragile state of mind. Perhaps only a character who is truly on the brink of something could plausibly make her way to an Ice Hotel.
My only complaint about this book is that the ending is somewhat unsatisfying. Clarissa finds out that her mother works at said Ice Hotel and that her true father is the mentally ill second cousin of her traveling companion, who raped Clarissa's mother while they were protesting the construction of a dam together. To add insult to injury, her mother isn't the least bit remorseful for abandoning her family. Upon learning all this, Clarissa decides that she can't really go back to her old life and her fiancee. Even though the mystery had been solved, it didn't feel like there was any real resolution to Clarissa's story. Her journey simply gave her permission to spiral further into her meltdown.
lisagray68's review against another edition
4.0
Really want to give this 4.5. Vendela Vida is a great writer. I just love that this book is about Lapland and I learned something about the Sami people -- all while being marvelously entertained by her great writing. A perfect storm!
wubledoo's review against another edition
3.0
Hmmm... still not sure how I felt about this book. She's a good writer. Fairly unconventional topic... Hmmm...
mhall's review against another edition
3.0
Almost too spare and bleak, this book features a young woman discovering the truth about her past. The main character remains very flat, though, in the sense that she's distant from her emotions and motivations.
jessalynn_librarian's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to like this book, but it never quite hooked me emotionally. At the same time, it was easy to lose myself in it, and a quick, interesting read. A lot of points felt intentionally unresolved, which bugged me some. I felt sorry for all the characters that Clarissa ditched on her literal/metaphorical journey. The sense of place was great, and the characters were often compelling (except, sometimes, Clarissa herself). But the language felt a little too self-consciously almost cute sometimes - cute is not the right word, but the closest I can come. Things like, "I pulled out two loud-ticking alarm clocks I'd come across when furtively packing, and held one clock up to each ear. All I could hear was time." Part of me wants to like that, but really only if Clarissa then makes fun of herself for thinking it. Not if she just ends the moment there.
Overall, though, I did like it - and I wouldn't discourage anyone from giving it a try if it sounds interesting. I'm just not going to run around raving about it.
Overall, though, I did like it - and I wouldn't discourage anyone from giving it a try if it sounds interesting. I'm just not going to run around raving about it.
shawn_brommer's review against another edition
4.0
I read this novel in one sitting and the author's voice whispered to me in my dreams. The plot isn't perfect, but the narrative voice and powerful prose are brilliant.