Little Star by John Ajvide Lindqvist

When embittered ex-pop-star Lennart Cederstrom finds a baby left for dead in a plastic bag, he is uncertain what to do - until he hears her cry. It is a clear, haunting, perfectly pitched note, and Lennart decides she will be his project. A child raised in isolation: the vehicle for a pure, uncorrupted music.
But like any girl brought up in a basement, young Theres turns out to have a few idiosyncrasies. Dangerous ones!!

John Ajvide Lindqvist is a great storyteller and I particularly liked his last book Harbour with its mix of crime and supernatural horror. In Little Star he has done away with the supernatural but kept the horror and unfortunately it didn't work for me.

The first part of the story tells of Theres childhood years - unpleasant people doing unpleasant things but weird enough  to keep it in the realms of make believe. Then it stops abruptly and gruesomely and suddenly we meet 'the other girl.'

Theresa is an ordinary teenager from a nice ordinary family. Unfortunately she is plain, overweight and the victim of bullying. She expresses her anger and feelings of isolation by writing inflammatory comments on internet forums and it is here she makes contact with Theres, who has recently gained attention through her performances as an Idol contestant. The two girls form a friendship that will prove to be a lethal combination.

That I could not like this book was because of the subject matter. It seemed that everything nasty in today's world , bullying, the abuse of the internet, exploitation for monetary gain right through to murder , takes centre stage and nowhere in sight is there any power for good to provide balance. For me, too dark and disturbing .....too so horror -ably possible......too ugly!


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