Astrid Mattson lives in a two-storeyed cocoon. Across the field, her new neighbour Veronika Bergman is in the workshop of her next book. It is highly unlikely that the 80-year-old reclusive “village witch” will step out of her mansion and strike a chord with the young writer.

But friendship comes unannounced and Linda Olsson gives us a beautiful tale of companionship that sprouts in the winter and grows all through the spring, summer and autumn. And by next winter, Astrid and Veronika would have no secrets between them.

The simple story— where the two women take turns to recount their lives so far— evokes a profusion of emotions. There are no surprises, yet Astrid and Veronika make the book engrossing. They open up on the dinner table and during the course of pancakes, potatoes and fish balls, spill their dark secrets. Two friends are born and the bond grows stronger by the day.

Set in a picturesque Swedish countryside, the novel is as close to earth as possible. One day, it’s a walk by the hill whereas the second day, Astrid and Veronika spend hours in silence on the riverbank (an occasional sighting of a moose or a fox is no surprise). Come autumn and it’s time to explore the forest, picking wild strawberries and mushrooms (which reappear as jam and omelet later).

Linda Olsson is not an intruding author. She plants her two characters in the neighbourhood and watches them bond. She doesn’t interpret their thoughts or words, but leaves it to the readers to chew over.

There are no spoken words of love. Yet, as Astrid takes out her exclusive china (“as delicate as eggshells”) to host a dinner for Veronika, you know that the old woman cares. After a tough childhood, a mockery of a marriage and 60 long and lonely years in a wooden building, Astrid had almost ceased to exist.

Life comes in the form of Veronika, who is more than happy to take Astrid out to the swimming pool and play the Brahms sonata to her. The young lady too has a painful past— of a love lost forever. But together, the two have no time to cry. A beautiful book from a first-time author. Go make friends again. Revel in the new world.