The Bleeding by Johana Gustawsson (translated by David Warriner)

I was a latecomer to Johana's Gustawsson's Castells and Roy series but binged on Block 46, Keeper and Blood Song, and enjoyed them all immensely. It was a long wait for The Bleeding and I missed last year's hardback blog tour but bought my own copy and finally got the time to read it this year. It did not disappoint one bit. And now it's out in paperback so I'm delighted to help mark the occasion by sharing my review for the blog tour. My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the invitation.

The Blurb

Queen of French Noir, Johana Gustawsson returns with a spell-binding, dazzlingly dark gothic thriller that swings from Belle Époque France to 21st-century Quebec, with an extraordinary mystery at its heart… First in a spell-binding new series

1899, Belle Époque Paris. Lucienne’s two daughters are believed dead when her mansion burns to the ground, but she is certain that her girls are still alive and embarks on a journey into the depths of the spiritualist community to find them.

1949, Post-War Québec. Teenager Lina’s father has died in the French Resistance, and as she struggles to fit in at school, her mother introduces her to an elderly woman at the asylum where she works, changing Lina’s life in the darkest way imaginable.

2002, Quebec. A former schoolteacher is accused of brutally stabbing her husband – a famous university professor – to death. Detective Maxine Grant, who has recently lost her own husband and is parenting a teenager and a new baby single-handedly, takes on the investigation. Under enormous personal pressure, Maxine makes a series of macabre discoveries that link directly to historical cases involving black magic and murder, secret societies and spiritism … and women at breaking point, who will stop at nothing to protect the ones they love...

The Bleeding is published by Orenda Books and came out in paperback on 6th July this year.

My Review

Those of you familiar with the Castells and Roy (who gets a shout out here) books will know that each is written in a dual timeline. Johanna has gone one further in The Bleeding and we follow events in the lives of three different women in three different times and two different countries, France at the end of 19th century and Canada in 1949 and 2002. We open with Maxine in 2002 investigating an apparent murder by her former schoolteacher and move between her story and those of Lucienne in 1899 who is trying to contact her missing children, who are presumed dead, with the help of a spiritualist, and Lina in 1949, a bullied schoolgirl who is befriended by an elderly woman in the asylum where her mother works. The main part of the story is told in 2002 we move frequently between Maxine's point of view and those of the other women as we learn more about them all.

All of these women are struggling in some way. Lucienne is trying to find a way of dealing with the disappearance of her daughters and Maxine is grieving the death of her husband and trying to bring up a teenager and baby alone. But it was teenage Lina who pulled at my heartstrings the most. Viewed as an outcast by other girls in her class and constantly tormented by them, she is forced by her widowed mother to go straight to the asylum where she works once Lina has finished school for the day. It's such a sad and miserable existence for a young woman and with no real friends of her own it is no wonder she is comforted by the championship. of an asylum resident. I also really liked psychologist Professor Ginette (Gina) Montminy who treats everyone she comes across with kindness, compassion and respect.

As the novel progresses, the author teases us with how these three women are linked. It's incredibly well written, clever and these intricately woven threads come together perfectly. I can't tell you much about the individual stories without revealing spoilers but I will say this is a dark, deliciously dark, novel. It talks of black magic and murder, truly heinous crimes. There is grief and sadness too. And women not always being able to speak up for themselves in a way they would like to, which is still an issue today.

The Bleeding is beautifully written even in its darkest, most chilling moments, and the scene setting is fabulous, always atmospheric and often claustrophobic. I read this with a mounting dread as the pieces began to fall into place but I did not foresee the shocking, heartbreaking ending - that was a bit of a 'wowser' moment! This is an incredible, hard hitting book, one which I have thought of often since I finished reading it. I loved Blood Song. I love this at least as much, if not more, and it's definitely a favourite for this year so far.


The Author

Born in Marseille, France, and with a degree in Political Science, Johana Gustawsson has worked as a journalist for the French and Spanish press and television. Her critically acclaimed Roy & Castells series, including Block 46, Keeper and Blood Song, has won the Plume d’Argent, Balai de la découverte,Balai d’Or and Prix Marseillais du Polar awards, and is now published in 28 countries. A TV adaptation is currently underway in a French, Swedish and UK co-production. The Bleeding – number one bestseller in France and the first in a new series – will be published in 2022. Johana lives on the west coast of Sweden with her Swedish husband and their three sons.