Book description
October 1914: the destroyer
Svea
emerged from the Stockholm archipelago bearing south-south-east. On
board was Lars Tobiasson-Svartman, a naval engineer charged with making
depth soundings for the Swedish navy. He is obsessed with measurement
and precision, instincts reflected in his comfortable but cold
relationship with his wife. Close to where soundings are taken, Lars
rows out to a barren reef, presumed uninhabited, and discovers a young
woman there. Despite her almost feral appearance, Sara stirs something
in him. The mission is a success and the Svea
returns to Gothenburg. Lars, however, remains haunted by this chance
encounter, and feels compelled to return... Henning Mankell has become
a worldwide phenomenon with his crime writing, gripping thrillers and
atmospheric novels set in Africa. His prizewinning and critically
acclaimed Inspector Wallander Mysteries are currently dominating
bestseller lists all over the globe. His books have been translated into
over forty languages and made into numerous international film and
television adaptations: most recently the BAFTA-award-winning BBC
television series Wallander
, starring Kenneth Branagh. Mankell devotes much of his free time to
working with Aids charities in Africa, where he is also director of the
Teatro Avenida in Maputo. In 2008, the University of St Andrews
conferred Henning Mankell with an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters
in recognition of his major contribution to literature and to the
practical exercise of conscience.
