Camilla Lackberg - The Lost Boy

She felt a hand reaching out towards her from behind, almost touching her shoulder. But she pulled away at exactly the right moment, as if she had eyes in the back of her head. The dead were helping her. They urged her to run towards the shore, towards the water that had been her enemy for so long. She now realized that it would be her salvation.

Emelie ran right into the sea, carrying her son in her arms. The water splashed around her legs, and after a few metres it got too hard for her to run and she had to slow her pace to a walk. Gustav had his arms wrapped around her neck, but he was no longer crying. He didn’t make a sound, as if he understood.

Behind her she heard Karl and Julian enter the water. She had a few metres’ head start, and she kept on going. The water now reached up to her chest, and she could feel panic taking hold of her. She didn’t know how to swim. But then it felt as if the water were embracing her, welcoming her and promising safety.

Something made her turn around. Karl and Julian were standing in the water a short distance away, staring at her. When they saw her stop, they began moving towards her again. Emelie started backing up. The water now reached to her shoulders, and Gustav felt lighter, his weight buoyed up by the sea. The voices were speaking to her, calming her, saying that everything was going to be fine. No harm would come to them. They were welcome and would be given peace.

Emelie was filled with a sense of calm. She trusted them. They enveloped her and her son in love. Then they urged her to turn and head towards the endless horizon. Blindly, Emelie obeyed the ones who had been her only friends on the island. With Gustav in her arms, she struggled in the direction where she knew the currents would be strongest and where the bottom sloped steeply downward. Karl and Julian followed, heading towards the horizon and squinting into the sun, without taking their eyes off her.

The last thing she saw before the water closed over her and Gustav was how Karl and Julian were pulled under by the currents. And perhaps by something else. But she was certain that she would never encounter them again. She and Gustav would be staying on Gråskär, but those two would not. The only place for Karl and Julian was in hell.

My Swedish publisher, Karin Linge Nordh, and my editor, Matilda Lund, have both been enormously helpful, as usual. I can’t thank you enough for the work that you’ve done this time around. Everyone else at Bokförlaget Forum has also supported me in countless ways and displayed an unflagging enthusiasm for the book.

The Nordin Agency represents me superbly in Sweden and in the rest of the world. Joakim Hansson has taken over the baton from Bengt Nordin and is continuing to run the race in an amazing way. I am also tremendously happy that Bengt is still in my life, as my friend now instead of as my agent.

None of my books would have been written without the help I’ve received in caring for my children. As always, I want to thank my mother, Gunnel Läckberg, as well as my ex-husband and now good friend Micke Eriksson, who never hesitates to help out. My former mother-in-law and my children’s grandmother, Mona Eriksson, has also contributed to the creative process with her delicious Swedish meatballs which, thank goodness, still continue to arrive at our house.

And my thanks to Emma and Sunit Mehrotra for lending us their wonderful house for a week last winter. I wrote many pages of The Lost Boy while we were there, with the sun shining and the snow glittering outside, while inside the fire crackled in the fireplace. Thanks also to my parents-in-law, Agneta von Bahr and Jan Melin. Your thoughtfulness and support have meant so much during the writing of this book.

As always, the police in Tanumshede have been a source of inspiration, and they have eagerly cheered me on. The same can be said of the citizens of Fjällbacka, who continue to enjoy watching me scatter dead bodies throughout their small town.

Christina Saliba and Hanna Jonasson Drotz at Weber Shandwick offered new ideas and suggestions, which led to a stimulating collaboration. They also helped me to focus on what is most important for me: writing.

Many people helped me with the research and fact-checking that were an essential part of this book. I would like to thank them all, especially Anders Torevi, Karl-Allen Nordblom, Christine Fredriksen, Anna Jeffords, and Maria Farm. Niklas Bernstone made an important contribution by travelling among the islands to take the perfect photograph of a lighthouse for the jacket of the Swedish edition.

And my thanks to all the readers of my blog. What a source of positive energy you are!

Thanks to my friends, who put up with the intense writing periods when I more or less disappear from the face of the earth. Incredibly enough, you’re still there when I emerge, which is more than I deserve since months may go by without a word from me. And my thanks to Denise Rudberg, who always has time to listen and offer encouragement – both when it comes to the travails of writing and regarding everything else in life, which we discuss in our almost daily phone conversations.

My books and everything that happens in my life as an author would mean nothing without my children: Wille, Meja, and Charlie. And my wonderful Martin. You’re not only my love but also my best friend. Thank you all for being there for me.

Camilla Läckberg

Enskede, 29 June 2009

www.camillalackberg.com