Eighth House
'This is an extraordinary book. It moves in and around you like a ghost. I feel lucky to have experienced it' -- Daisy Johnson - author of Everything Under
In the archives of the national library, a researcher named Linda sees a nine year-old girl's face in the pages of a yellowed newspaper, and the seed of an obsession is planted in her mind.
Birgitta Sivander was brutally murdered one night in May 1948. The culprit was never found. Linda feels a deep connection to Birgitta, and in the months that follow she compulsively researches the case.
Meanwhile, a life is taking root inside Linda; she is to have a daughter of her own. As she grapples with the wonder and anxiety of motherhood, she gradually pieces together Birgitta's story, closing in on the possible killer.
Driven to redeem a lost child, Linda must find a way to lay Birgitta to rest. Moving and unputdownable, The Eighth House is a shattering examination of why cycles of violence persist, and an invocation of the hope that new life brings.
Linda Segtnan was born in 1986 and works as a historical researcher in Stockholm. The Eighth House is her first book.
Elizabeth Clark Wessel (Translator)
Elizabeth Clark Wessel is a poet and literary translator living in Stockholm, Sweden. She's translated books by Golnaz Hashemzadeh Bonde, Elin Anna Labba, Kristina Lugn, Linda Segtnan, and many others. Her first full-length collection of poetry, None of It Belongs to Me, was released in 2024 by Game Over Books.