After the fire

Fredrik Welin is a seventy-year-old retired doctor.

Years ago he retreated to the Swedish archipelago, where he lives alone on an island.

He swims in the sea every day, cutting a hole in the ice if necessary.

He lives a quiet life. Until he wakes up one night to find his house on fire. Fredrik escapes just in time, wearing two left-footed wellies, as neighbouring islanders arrive to help douse the flames.

All that remains in the morning is a stinking ruin and evidence of arson.

The house that has been in his family for generations and all his worldly belongings are gone.

He cannot think who would do such a thing, or why. Without a suspect, the police begin to think he started the fire himself. Tackling love, loss and loneliness, After the Fire is Henning Mankell's compelling last novel.