A review by scknitter
A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson

5.0

The Sandells seem like a perfectly normal family. They even would say they were if asked. But, what really is normal? Stella is 17. She has always been her own person and rarely conformed to what others thought she should do. But, even those that thought she was strong willed and stubborn didn’t believe she could kill someone and yet she is in remand for killing a 33 year old man that she allegedly had an affair with. Her father, Adam, is a pastor and he knows that his strong beliefs and his desire for Stella to be the person he thinks she should be has driven a wedge between them. Ulrika is a very successful lawyer who has let her job take precedent over trying to forge a meaningful relationship with her daughter. Amina is Stella’s best friend and has been since they were youngsters. She seems to be the only one who truly understands Stella and the only one Stella really cares about. But, has that all changed?
The story begins with Stella on trial for murder and her father about to testify. It is told from 3 points of view, Adam’s, Ulrika’s and Stella’s. As each tells their story they reveal things about themselves that help us understand who they are and why each is doing what he or she is doing. They each separately decide to do what needs to be done to save their family and friendship but will it work or will it backfire terribly? This is a compulsive, totally addictive psychological thriller, legal thriller and intense family drama all rolled into one.