THE HOUSE AT PEARL RIVER (HUSET VID PÄRLÄLVENS SLUT)

Winner of Crimetime Awards, Debut of the Year 2025 

A northern Swedish John Ajvide Lindqvist, for readers of Andrew Michael Hurley, Mikael Niemi and Stina Jackson, The House at Pearl River is a dark suspense novel with a touch of literary horror, set in the Swedish Arctic. 

In the ancient, snow-covered forests outside Jokkmokk, bus driver Dylan Häggström lives alone by the winding Pearl River. It is down by the riverbank that he misses his older sister Ella-Kajsa the most, the sister who has been gone for far too long. The longing for her almost suffocates him, yet he hasn’t given up on the hope that one day she will return.  

Struggling to make sense of his lonely life, Dylan has become convinced that his heart is shrinking day by day, and the only thing he can do to stay alive is to drink blood. Doctors don’t quite know what to do with him, as they cannot find anything wrong with Dylan’s heart. Now, hunting squirrels and feasting of rabbits’ hearts  is no longer enough; it dawns on Dylan that he needs the blood from another human being to cure his affliction. He starts making a desperate plan. 

In one of the villages further down the road lives a little boy who rides Dylan’s bus to and from school every day. One dark and snowy afternoon, the boy accompanies his mother to the shop, just as Dylan reaches rock bottom. This coincidental act will change all of their lives in ways they cannot begin to imagine.

A struggle for survival commences; Dylan must save his heart and his life at any cost. And, the little boy must try to save himself. A horrible mistake leads to a devastating crime, which will continue to echo down the years, for the boy as well as the man.

And, what really happened to Dylan’s sister that day many years ago?

A northern Swedish John Ajvide Lindqvist, and for readers of Andrew Michael Hurley, Mikael Niemi and Stina Jackson, The House at Pearl River is a dark suspense novel with a touch of literary horror, set in the far north of Sweden in the township of Jokkmokk, located right on the Arctic Circle. 

194 pages

 

Winner of Crimetime Awards, Debut of the Year 2025 

The Crimetime Jury: 

“For a cinematic and linguistically skilful debut that is truly original. The plot is brutal and violent, yet at the same time beautiful, and delivers a large dose of empathy and melancholy. It is a dizzying journey straight down into darkness, with the forests of Norrbotten as a backdrop. We are deeply moved by the sorrowful bus driver with a shrinking heart and the young boy who comes too close to darkness. A short, yet momentous and magnificent novel that lingers for a long time.” 

Rights Sold

Finnish: WSOY 
French: HarperCollins France 
German: HarperCollins Germany 
Norwegian: Aschehoug
Sweden: Romanus & Selling

Film rights

Please enquire

REVIEWS

“The tone and language is something of the most beautiful you will find in the genre…”
Lotta Olsson, Dagens Nyheter / SWE

“Älgebrink steers his dark story with a steady hand towards an unexpected and thought-provoking ending, and I close the cover of a book that I will not forget for a very, very long time.’
Gunilla Wedding, Skånska Dagbladet / SWE

‘‘It is a skilful portrayal… The combination of nightmare and everyday details, tenderness and murder, is nevertheless a page-turning read, thanks to the quiet empathy.’
Inger Melin, Borås Tidning / SWE

“[A] distinctive and unique crime novel… It showcases that suspense does not have to be written according to a certain formula. It is sad and serious and told in a new way. I think it deserves all the attention it gets.”
Nisse Scherman, Aftonbladet / SWE

“The echo of Mikael Niemi’s early books is apparent, the horror undertones more realistic, the fantastical in Älgebrink’s universe is not the supernatural but rather all that happen between the characters on the sidelines.”
Jan-Olov Nyström, Norrbottens-Kuriren / SWE