Astrid and Veronika is the story of an unexpected friendship that develops between two women who have suffered love and loss and who are alone and wounded by tragedies.
Veronika flees New Zealand and rents a house in a small and quiet town in Sweden. She hopes to heal and find herself able to write again. Her routine, developed as a safety net, is broken when she meets Astrid. Her only neighbor is a reclusive old woman who some in the village call a witch.
Astrid takes an interest in Veronika, and as they start to spend more time together she begins to share details about her past. Astrid who suffered a lonely childhood and then a loveless marriage has become embittered by the memories of her past but as she opens up to Veronika she realizes that she should have cared for the precious memories instead of letting bitterness steal into her heart.
"I have never talked to anyone about that night. Ever, she said. And now when I listen to my own words, I realize that they tell a different story from the one I have carried all these years."
Veronika is a wonderful listener, non-judgmental and caring but she also realizes that she needs to open up and tell her own story of finding the perfect love and losing it. Veronika will learn to deal with grief, learn to live again, and learn to make connections.
This is a story to savor. The author writes beautiful, descriptive scenes, whether it's the beauty of a blossoming patch of strawberries, to the minute details of a good meal shared with a friend, all written as to invite the reader into the special world of good friends.
Added 04/07