Set in a Swedish city during the waning days of summer, this intense thriller tells the story of a teenager accused of murdering a 32-year-old man and the ensuing trial that forces us to wonder: What would we do as her parents if we thought she might be guilty?

A NEARLY NORMAL FAMILY is told in three parts, narrated by each member of the small nuclear family at the center of this drama. There’s Adam, a loving but controlling father who is a pastor; Stella, the rebellious teen accused of murder; and her mother Ulrika, a successful attorney who is emotionally and often physically absent. Though the narratives move back and forth through time, the plot is sequential.

"This is a clever, provocative and impressive novel that will not disappoint --- or be quickly forgotten."

Stella and her best friend, Amina, are inseparable, if very different types. They talk to and text each other throughout the day and share their most intimate secrets --- until the night they meet an attractive older man, Chris Olsen, in their favorite bar. He is a millionaire entrepreneur whose mother is an influential lawyer, and he seems to have a past that might scare away more cautious (or mature) women. However, Stella carries on a summer fling with Chris despite red flags that include warnings from his ex-girlfriend and confusing reactions from Amina. When Chris is found dead on the playground near his apartment, Stella is immediately arrested and accused of murder. But did Stella do it? And if so, did she act alone?

One of the pleasures of this novel is its exploration of the many ways in which adults misunderstand children, whether because their expectations are based on their own ideals of what a child should be, or because they imbue children with adult sensibilities. As the book’s protagonist, Stella is both a typical teenager and an insightful narrator who is trying to figure out how to navigate others’ expectations. While she is in prison awaiting trial, she is given access to classic novels that normally would hold no allure, but instead broaden her understanding of others’ perspectives. This awakening to literature is a very natural evolution in her development.

The three sections of A NEARLY NORMAL FAMILY require patient reading, but when the pace picks up towards the end, that patience is amply rewarded. This is a clever, provocative and impressive novel that will not disappoint --- or be quickly forgotten.