He switched on the desk lamp, knelt down in front of the bookcase and removed several volumes from the bottom shelf. With practised hands he stacked the books on the floor and pulled out the object that had been concealed behind them. A projector. Modern technology was for the purpose of communication, not for experiences. There were times when he preferred to watch films with sound, but this evening he wanted a classic. And the classic was silent.
He placed the projector on the desk, facing the white wall at the other end of the room. He settled down in the armchair beside it and fed the strip of film into the machine. Then he turned the switch to start it, and the first images flickered into life on the wall. The distinctive summerhouse where all the windows were covered with sheets appeared, then the young woman walked in.
He had to smile when he saw the anxious expression on her face. It was so perfect that it was painful to behold. The film had cost him a small fortune, and he had been assured that it had an extremely limited distribution. He had always known that his particular desire was very rare, that there were very few people like him. The awareness that he was special, chosen, brought tears to his eyes.
It didn’t get any better than this.
Without taking his eyes off the woman’s face, he reached out and switched off the desk lamp.
Then there was only the film, and the silent scream of the woman in the summerhouse.
AUTHOR’S ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The book you have just read is fiction. As far as I know, it has no connection with reality. If there are any such similarities, they are wholly unintentional.
The third book. And I have no idea how that came about. Why did I suddenly start writing books? I remember being bored, thinking that I didn’t know how I was going to shake off that feeling in the near future. So I wrote a crime novel. Closed my eyes, let myself be carried along, and shot from the hip. Bang.
Once I had started, I couldn’t stop. One book wasn’t enough: I wanted to write more. There was another book, and then another. Right now, I’m busy working on the plot for the fourth book, in spite of the fact that I had intended to take a break from writing.
I am not short of imagination. However, I have considerably less patience. Hardly any, in fact. When I was writing this book, I was able to recognise with grim satisfaction that I have become better at certain things. Suddenly I was less at sea, and the narrative almost wrote itself. But only almost. Therefore, it is only right that I should thank those who helped me in my work.
First of all, thank you to all those wonderful, amazing people at Piratförlaget! You are my sanctuary when it comes to recuperation and inspiration. Special thanks to my publisher Sofia and to my editor Anna, who together drive my writing ever onwards.
Thank you also to everyone at the Salomonsson Agency, who continue to ensure that my books reach readers all over the world. So. Cool.
And thanks to Mats and Malena for allowing me even more time to write. Malena, on the whole, it’s been a pleasure. Mats, good luck with the new job.
And finally, thanks to my family and friends who continue to show such overwhelming enthusiasm and joy in my work and my successes. They are an invaluable asset to have behind me as I sit here writing at the computer.
Thank you.
Kristina Ohlsson
Vienna, winter 2011
Kristina Ohlsson
KRISTINA OHLSSON is a political scientist and, until recently, held the position of Counter-Terrorism Officer at OSCE. She has previously worked at the Swedish Security Service, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Swedish National Defence, where she was a junior expert on the Middle East conflict and the foreign policy of the European Union. Her debut novel, Unwanted was published in Sweden in 2009 to terrific critical acclaim and all her novels have since been bestsellers. Kristina lives in Stockholm.
MARLAINE DELARGY has translated works by many writers including John Ajvide Lindqvist, Åsa Larsson, Anne Holt, Michael Hjorth / Hans Rosenfeldt, and Johan Theorin, with whom she won the CWA International Dagger in 2010. She is deputy editor of Swedish Book Review.
