Before the River Takes Us By Helena Thorfinn

This Scandinavian bestseller set in South Asia, is a well-informed and exciting peek into the world of diplomacy and international relations. It offers an entrance to a place where career diplomats cross paths with struggling garment workers and shady factory owners, and where tennis matches and pool parties influence global politics.

A Scandinavian diplomatic family with small children prepares to move to the bustling mega city of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Sofia is committed to work with women’s rights and climate change, while her husband is looking forward to improving his tennis and spending more time with their children.

At the same time, two Bangladeshi sisters flee village life. They move into the slums surrounding the diplomatic mansions and are soon pulled into the petty commercialism surrounding the booming garment industry. Then, one of the sisters is hired as nanny to the Scandinavian family’s children. Slowly, but inexorably, the two worlds merge.

Thorfinn’s full-bodied and efficient writing style takes the reader on a journey to Bangladesh, where the challenges of poverty and climate change are juxtaposed with domestic humdrum and office politics. As a reader of this colourful narrative you walk the bustling streets of Dhaka, both as a diplomat and a garment girl.

This Scandinavian best seller set in South Asia, has moved the hearts and minds of readers around the world. It offers a fascinating glimpse into a world where hard working diplomats cross paths with struggling garment workers and shady factory owners. A world where tennis matches, pool parties and terrorism collide with unexpected results.A Scandinavian diplomatic family with small children move to the bustling mega city of Dhaka. At the same time as the family arrives in the affluent diplomatic enclave of Baridhara, two young sisters flee village life. The sisters move into the slums surrounding the diplomatic villas, and one of them is soon hired as a nanny for the family. Slowly, but inexorably, the two worlds merge. This is a story about the underbelly of international development and fast urbanisation. A story about love, professional ambitions and the importance for women to take their rightful space. Thorfinn´s writing style is full-bodied and effective, leaving the reader with a sense of having walked the streets of Dhaka, both as a privileged westerner, and as a young woman from the village.