The Invisible

One ordinary Monday morning in May, Hilmer Eriksson walks into his high school classroom and discovers that he has become invisible. No one can see him, no one can hear him. In fact, a police detective named Harald Fors arrives at school that very morning to investigate Hilmer's disappearance. The boy has no idea what's going on, but he's frightened, and he's starting to forget things - including what happened to him a few nights earlier. Detective Fors suspects foul play, and those suspicions lead him - trailed by the ghostlike presence of Hilmer - to a group of skinheads. These unpopular, disaffected kids are very vocal about their Nazi sympathies. But how does Hilmer's life intersect with theirs? As Fors scours the village and interviews area residents for clues, he begins to piece together the puzzle of Hilmer's disappearance. Meanwhile Hilmer waits, silently, to discover what has happened to him.

In this riveting mystery set in northern Sweden, Mats Wahl deftly alternates between the policeman's and the victim's points of view, as the story of a missing-persons case shifts with a sad inevitability into a heartbreaking murder investigation.

One ordinary Monday morning in May, Hilmer Eriksson walks into his high school classroom and discovers that he has become invisible. No one can see him, no one can hear him. In fact, a police detective named Harald Fors arrives at school that very morning to investigate Hilmer's disappearance. The boy has no idea what's going on, but he's frightened, and he's starting to forget things - including what happened to him a few nights earlier. Detective Fors suspects foul play, and those suspicions lead him - trailed by the ghostlike presence of Hilmer - to a group of skinheads. These unpopular, disaffected kids are very vocal about their Nazi sympathies. But how does Hilmer's life intersect with theirs? As Fors scours the village and interviews area residents for clues, he begins to piece together the puzzle of Hilmer's disappearance. Meanwhile Hilmer waits, silently, to discover what has happened to him.

In this riveting mystery set in northern Sweden, Mats Wahl deftly alternates between the policeman's and the victim's points of view, as the story of a missing-persons case shifts with a sad inevitability into a heartbreaking murder investigation.

Publishers Weekly

The intriguing premise of this suspenseful novel will pull readers right into contemporary Sweden, where Hilmer Eriksson, a rural high school student, discovers one day that he is completely invisible to those around him to his classmates, teachers, parents and girlfriend. Hilmer quickly learns that he "disappeared" Saturday evening while riding his bike to a neighboring village. The teen latches onto the detective investigating his disappearance to find out why no one can see him. Detective Fors's queries uncover a group of alienated skinheads whom he suspects may be responsible for Hilmer's disappearance. Wahl shifts the third-person narrative between the perspectives of Hilmer and Fors to strong effect, palpably building the tension. As Fors gathers evidence and interviews Hilmer's family and friends, Hilmer's memory fades. Short sentences, forthright dialogue and turns of phrase reveal a great deal about the characters. As far away as this rural Swedish community may be, readers may be chilled by the commonalities of the dark side, wherever humans dwell. A major motion picture based on the novel is soon to be released. Ages 12-up. (Jan.)

MATS WAHL has written over forty novels, as well as numerous plays and screenplays. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden.