THE LOST VILLAGE

SYNOPSIS

Documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt has been obsessed with the vanishing residents of the old mining town, dubbed “The Lost Village,” since she was a little girl. In 1959, her grandmother’s entire family disappeared in this mysterious tragedy, and ever since, the unanswered questions surrounding the only two people who were left―a woman stoned to death in the town center and an abandoned newborn―have plagued her. She’s gathered a small crew of friends in the remote village to make a film about what really happened.

But there will be no turning back.

Not long after they’ve set up camp, mysterious things begin to happen. Equipment is destroyed. People go missing. As doubt breeds fear and their very minds begin to crack, one thing becomes startlingly clear to Alice:

They are not alone.

They’re looking for the truth…
But what if it finds them first?

Title: The lost village

Author: Camilla Sten

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Publication date: March 23, 2021

REVIEW

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

When I first read the synopsis of "The lost village" the first thing that came to mind was "The Blair Witch Project". Then I learnt that the author is the daughter of one of my favorite nordic authors, Viveca Sten, so with those two pieces of info I just knew I had to read this.

In 1959 hundreds of people disappeared from a small Swedish town. Left behind were only a newborn and the body of a dead woman. Nowadays, a film documentary crew goes back to that town to try and find out what happened there 60 years ago, but soon after their arrival it comes clear they may not be all alone there.

This book grabbed me right from page one. The initial scene was quite spine-chilling and that tone was kept all throughout the story. The easy writing and that creepy atmosphere had me turning pages quite fast! At first the story unfolded in a slow burning mode, but the combo of past and present lines helped me to not lose interest at any moment. Once the strange happenings began pace picked up a lot, leading to the unveiling of what happened in 1959.

I would have liked a bit more development in the 1959 time line and its characters. Most of what we learn from that time is through letters, but we don't get to witness first hand how and why the town's people behave like they did.

The present line was filled with a foreboding feeling that something bad was about to happen at any given time. All the characters were pretty flawed, but despite their faults I could not help to feel some sympathy for them, especially Alice.

Part of the ending was a complete surprise and it never crossed my mind, in part cause I'm not sure how truly believable was the villain's choice. I like when "supernatural" things have an earthly explanation, so that part of the resolution was satisfying enough.

Really entertaining mix of nordic noir and gothic horror. I will surely keep an eye out for the author's next book.