A review by a_blue_box_full_of_books
Strega by Johanne Lykke Holm

4.0

Stuck in a hotel in the middle of nowhere, a group of nine young women work for the season. Once majestic, the Olympic Hotel is now an empty shell, perched in the mountains above the small village of Strega. Everyday is the same routine, the same gestures. Everyday the girls wait for guests who never come. One evening, guests arrive to celebrate the solstice and one of the girls disappears. 

The atmosphere of Strega is very unique, almost claustrophobic. The reader shares the daily life of the young women, witnessing the work they do everyday, seemingly without any purpose as no guest ever comes . The days are calm, and peaceful, and the girls just enjoy each other’s company. Until something very dark happens. The reader never knows exactly what happened to the missing girl, but clues are left along the way. 

Strega is a very slow novel. Johanne Lykke Holm takes her time to establish her background story, weaving a tale with gothic elements. I loved the slow pace of the story. It is a slow ride where you take the time to contemplate the landscapes. It is strange. Very strange. Full of esoteric elements. Certainly a deep read that stays with you afterwards, still wondering what exactly happened.