Kersti has never looked back after her best friend, Cressida, falls from the fourth floor at their boarding school. But one day, she receives a letter from her friend Lille, saying that Cressida’s fall was more than what it seemed. Unhappy, Kersti grabs on to this mystery and decides to find out what happened all those years ago.

The story alternates between the present, as Kersti finds out more about Cressida and deals with the struggles of infertility (which is tied to her self-identity as someone with Estonian heritage) and the past, where Kersti is adapting to the foreign world of Switzerland.

I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the book before I started reading. The title and cover wasn’t very exciting, and I had completely forgotten what the book was about (the period between reserving a copy and actually getting it was pretty long). But, the story quickly pulled me in and I found myself dying to find out what happened to Cressida.

Speaking of Cressida, she was a fascinating character – so alive in the past, but uncontactable in the present. Given that Kersti wasn’t exactly ‘in the know’ back then, we’re always left wondering: is Cressida a product of her environment or was there something wrong with her from the start?

Kersti was pretty interesting too. The issue of what it means to be Estonian, and what it means to belong, is something that affected her in the past and present and gave her a sense of purpose through the whole book. I liked how all the different plotlines all tied together through her, making it feel like one complex story.

The only thing I didn’t really enjoy was the frequently changing narrative distance. The book would be reading like a close third when suddenly, it would switch to a more distant third person. I don’t know if it was on purpose, but it was more distracting than anything. I would have preferred if the book stuck to a close third throughout.

Overall, though, this was an extremely enjoyable and fast-paced read. I was hooked from the start and finished it in no time. I should warn you that there’s some slightly disturbing stuff in here (which I can’t really say because it’s related to the climax), but do be prepared that this won’t be a comfortable read.