Inge and Mira

Not as engaging as her other books. However an interesting insight into Chilean refugees in Sweden.

From the cover - blonde Inge is a native of Sweden, while dark Mira has fled there to escape the living hell of Chile at the time of the military coupled by General Pinochet. They are bought together by their mutual love of plants, but this gentle pastime is soon overshadowed by the terrible legacy of Mira's past. It is a legacy which will reach out to touch many lives including those of Inge and Mira's children.
I thought this a beautiful story of frienship between two mature women and I realised I have read little on the terrible recent history of Chile. In a short book, the author, conveys much about the culture of two very different countries and cultures.

A book by one of my favorite (Scandinavian) writers.
It was a pleasure to read. A sad book because of its contents, but also telling about the resilience of people who experience different types of tragedies at different moments in their lives.
I finishex it in no time, because it is much too hot to do many other things than reading.

I wanted to like this book, as I thought the idea was interesting - a chance meeting leads to a friendship between two very different women, the cool, reserved, thoughtful Swede, Inge, and the warm, impetuous, volatile Mira, a refugee from Pinochet's Chile, now living in Sweden. They bring to their friendship not just their own indivual experiences, with all the ensuing misunderstandings and misconceptions that exist in any relationship, but also their two cultures. However, had it been any longer than its 230 pages, I would have given up, as I found that I couldn't identify with any of the characters - too much telling and not enough showing made it hard for me to believe that the characters could actually say and do things that show more appeared to come out of the blue.
I was also constantly aware that I was reading a translation; the English was fairly stilted at times, the dialogue in particular. show less

What i love about this book is on it show that sometimes we meet someone or some people who unexpectedly help us along the way.

Both ladies, Inge and Mira, had a tragic or unpleasant past that they still haven't resolve. But through the help of each other and their families, they were able to settle and overcome what happened in the past.

The story of the friendship of Inge and Mira was broaden up to their sons and daughters. And they found not only friendship but a family among them.

For me the writing style of this book was a little bit hard to read. But the content was good. This is a good story about the love and friendship between two women. It really does show that no matter how different your lives are you can always find common ground. There is always a way to move around differences, and find friendship.

Période peu connue, lorsque la Suède accueillait les réfugiés des dictatures d'Amérique du Sud.
Deux femmes que tout sépare, une est suédoise, athée, divorcée, carrée, l'autre est chilienne, réfugiée et parle à Dieu. Elles se sentent si différentes, mais les blessures de leur passé vont les rapprocher. Magnifiques portraits de femmes qui décident d'affronter ensemble leur mémoire ainsi que de lourds secrets. Ce parcours douloureux mais nécessaire, est écrit avec une grande sensibilité. Ce livre m'a longtemps habité. Toute femme devrait l'avoir lu.