Watermark: The Truth Beneath the Surface by Sari Sikstrom is a beautifully written, intriguing novel. As the book begins, we meet Dr. Vela Ostovfold, a forensic librarian and daughter of a prominent opera star, Olivia. Vela is often mistaken for her famous mother, but her father's identity is a complete mystery to her. Raised primarily by her grandparents in Canada, Vela learned to not ask questions about her father. But that hasn't stopped her curiosity. When clearing out her mother's Rome apartment, Vela and her best friend and fellow book enthusiast, Amelia, discover a trunk filled with saved memorabilia and letters. In hopes of finding a clue that would lead her to her father, the two sift through the contents of the trunk. Most intriguing is a collection of letters from Miss Penelope Arthur, Olivia's teacher, to Vela's grandmother. Will these letters help lead Vela to her father?

Sari Sikstrom's Watermark could easily be the first book in a series. While Vela spent the majority of this story reading letters and searching for her father, her forensic librarian work, when described, is fascinating and could lead to many additional stories. All the characters are well developed and interesting. Vela's best friend, Amelia, is likable and spirited and Amelia's family, who consider Vela to be one of their own, seem to be a group who could add a lot of comedy to the story. The letters from Miss Arthur are beautiful and descriptive. I was glad when we were able to meet Miss Arthur and learn even more of her story and Olivia's. I would have liked to hear a little more about Vela's relationship with Franco, but overall, I enjoyed this book.

Watermark: The Truth beneath the Surface by Sari Sikstrom is a novel about Vela Ostofvold, daughter of a famous opera singer, Olivia Ostofvold. Vela has chosen a different path from that of her mother and prefers a quiet life amongst books. She travels Europe helping families restore and catalog their precious libraries. Vela is driven by the greatest mystery of all: who is her father. While packing her mother’s apartment in Rome, Vela comes across a box of letters from an old friend to her grandmother. This is the push she needed to unlock the mystery of her father’s identity. Traveling to England, Vela visits old friends of her mother’s to try to gain more insight into her conundrum. Will she discover the identity of the man or is the secret lost to the ages?

Miss Sikstrom is very creative in her execution of this novel. I liked how the letters between Vela’s grandmother and an old friend painted a very vivid picture of life in India. At points in the letters, it was as if I was stepping back in time as India seemed to change very little despite it being the 1970s. While the book was an easy read, I felt the story somewhat lacking. The ending felt rushed and I wanted to know more about what happened with Vela and Franco. Overall though, as a compelling read, Watermark: The Truth Beneath the Surface shows us how finding out the answers to life’s mysteries doesn’t always bring happiness, but it can bring about closure.

In Watermark: The Truth Beneath the Surface by Sari Sikstrom, we find Vela signing copies of her new book when she is approached by a young girl who wants to know how much a book she inherited is worth. Vela reveals that it could tell the girl a bit about her ancestry, something that Vela is looking into for herself. A journey to Italy where she finds letters in her mother’s apartment sends Vela on a journey to India where she starts to unravel the mystery surrounding her father. Vela is also on another quest – to find a dictionary that was published in 1656, a Glossographia. On her journey, she meets Amelia who becomes her friend and leads to her questioning whether she had anything to do with the disappearance of her father. Will Vela find everything she is looking for or does she keep on meeting dead ends?

Watermark: The Truth Beneath the Surface by Sari Sikstrom was an interesting read. It is a rare mix of a family story, with mystery, exotic locations and an interwoven love story that all come together in one gentle meandering journey. The characters were believably written and added to the story. I felt like I was living it, seeing it all in Technicolor through their eyes. For a debut author, I believe that Sari Sikstrom is onto a real winner here and I would love to read more from her in the very near future.

Watermark: The Truth Beneath the Surface by Sari Sikstrom revolves around the life of forensic librarian Dr. Vela Ostofvold. She is the love child of Olivia, an internationally renowned singer. She grows up in Canada in her grandparents’ care and later joins her mother in Italy, where as a fourteen-year-old girl, her interest in books is nurtured by her friendship with Amelia, daughter of the owner of Persolino’s Rare Bookstore. She also gets to know Amelia’s cousin, Franco. Vela finds a bundle of interesting letters in her mother’s apartment with clues relating to her father’s identity. As she sets out for Oxford, England, she faces the nagging doubts about her relationship with Franco and her father’s real identity. Will she ever find what she is looking for?

Sari Sikstrom, author of Watermark: The Truth Beneath the Surface, is a master story teller. Her creative writing style is lyrical and poetic. This, however, does not diminish the clarity of the story. On the contrary, her choice of words enhances the narrative. Set in Italy and England, she brings her readers to exotic India through the letters that were written to her grandmother ages ago. It is easy to relate to the characters in the story because they are well developed and they possess strengths and flaws like all of us. Consistent and clear, this is the tale of a young woman’s quest to find the truth beneath the surface. This is a refreshing story told from a unique perspective. As a forensic librarian, Vela is an expert in deciphering the inscriptions left in old books by their previous owners and, as some truths are revealed, she tries to find the truth about her own existence. I highly recommend this book!

Watermark: The Truth Beneath the Surface is a contemporary fiction novel written by Sari Sikstrom. Vela Ostofvold is in Rome to finish packing her mother's belongings at the flat she'd occupied for decades. Olivia Ostofvold is an opera star, and she and her daughter looked uncannily alike. Vela, however, is not in the limelight, except for when she's mistaken for her famous mother. She's a forensic librarian, who's currently promoting her book. Vela spent many summers sharing the apartment in Rome with her mother and is sad to be losing it, but the landlord has arranged for a sale of the property. While Vela's packing, she finds an old leather suitcase jammed underneath a bed. It's filled with keepsakes of her grandmother who, along with her grandfather, raised Vela in Alberta, Canada. Vela's always wondered about the identity of her father, and she's hoping that the letters she finds in the suitcase will finally resolve that mystery.

Sari Sikstrom's literary fiction novel, Watermark, is fascinating. Sikstrom's hero, Vela, is a forensic librarian. She can tell the provenance of a book, the types of readers, the climate and other details about the book and its history simply by examining its cover, spine and pages. Vela shares my love of books, especially old books, and I found myself getting excited for her when she visits Lord Gray's marvelous old library filled with leather-bound classics. Watermark is a multidimensional treat. There's Vela's Roman life and friends, including Franco, a potential love interest, and her old life in Alberta, Canada, on the farm where her Swedish grandparents raised her. And nestled in between is the entrancing correspondence found in that old suitcase. Will there be a sequel to Watermark in the near future? I certainly hope so -- I'd love to see more of the characters who became more like literary friends as I read through this book. Watermark is most highly recommended.

Dr. Vela Ostofvold, a forensic librarian, seeks to resolve things with her love interest while simultaneously determining her paternity in Watermark by Sari Sikstrom. In this story set in Italy, readers will follow Vela, the daughter of an opera star, as she uncovers bits of her mother’s past and travels to India via some old letters she finds, written by one of Olivia’s former teachers. Along the way, readers will visit portions of India in days long gone. Vela’s mother, Olivia, has never discussed Vela’s father, and though the young woman will not come out and ask for the details, she longs to fill in that portion of her past. As the story progresses, she discovers that she still loves Franco, the young man with whom she has had a relationship since childhood, notwithstanding their prior misunderstanding. With the help of her friend Amelia, Vela finds answers to her mystery.

The background for Watermark by Sari Sikstrom is engaging and the relationships sincere. I especially enjoyed the camaraderie between Vela and Amelia, and the scenes set in Franco’s family bar. Sikstrom uses engaging and colorful language and provides snippets from the past that make the story "real." But by far, my favorite moments were those spent in Amelia’s family bookstore and those when Vela engaged her skills as a forensic librarian. It is intriguing to think of the things one can learn about a work via the evidence they've left behind. In this regard, Watermark offers some interesting details and information that I am unlikely to forget!

The events that occur throughout a person’s life provide memories to create a wonderful collage that changes focus like images in a turning kaleidoscope. Different situations bring particular pieces to the foreground but underneath everything is a truth that serves as a watermark of authenticity. In Sari Sikstrom’s novel Watermark: The Truth Beneath the Surface, Vela consciously rotates the kaleidoscope of her life to try to discover the identity of her father. As she uncovers bits and pieces of information related to her mother’s youth and the connections that had been formed in those early years, she unveils a rich tapestry of hopes, dreams and disappointments that bring Vela to a very important understanding: each day and every friendship is precious. As a forensic librarian, Vela has dedicated her life to uncovering the personal story behind old books. Her private journey mirrors the examination of an old volume until Vela sees that enjoying the book is as important as simply owning it, if not more so. Now, as a young woman in love, she joins with her friends in creating an exciting new life – enjoying it and not just living it.

Watermark: The Truth Beneath the Surface by Sari Sikstrom is a poignant tale of past loves¸ missed opportunities, true devotion and the power to take control of your life. It makes you realize that not every question needs an answer, but rather an understanding of circumstances that allows you to move on in peace. Focusing on a quest for answers from the past should not blind anyone to the possibilities of life that are right in front of them, and that paying attention to clues found in the margins or the binding of the lives of those around us can serve as guides. What is and what can be mean so much more than what could have been in this thoughtful, heart-warming story.

Writer's Digest Judge’s Commentary
Plot and Story Appeal: 5/5
Character Appeal and Development: 5/5
Voice and Writing Style: 4/5 An engaging story. The creative word choices and comparisons are excellent. Example: Like two ice cubes in water. Beautiful handling of setting, characterization, and story world. This author is excellent. Suggestions for improvement are minor edits

You had me at Forensic Librarian! What a great concept! This was such a well written novel. I could not put it down! Would love to see a second novel.

Watermark has one of the most interesting protagonists I have ever encountered. Dr. Vela Ostofvold is a "forensic librarian," an occupation that until now existed solely in Sari Sikstrom's imagination. As she soon allows us to learn, the protagonist's job is to analyze books as physical rather than intellectual objects. Through the study of "ephemera, inscriptions and notations," the character tells us, "a secondary story beyond print accumulates." That the main character is a Sherlock Holmes of the book world fascinates me, as does the idea that books can reveal so much more than the story contained in their pages.

As the novel opens, readers meet the main character as she introduces herself at a symposium for forensic scientists:
I had the pleasure of mentoring Ms. Sikstrom as she wrote the first drafts of this book, and I was hooked on the story. What an original and memorable character! The sort that no editor forgets, and that every writer should aim to create. There is a place in literature for characters of every occupation, but my mind raced with excitement when I discovered such freshness of imagination.

The diction is exquisitely original, with many impressive lines and descriptions, such as when Vela examines another book and says, "it is as if a dragonfly dipped its tail in ink and flew over the page," or when the gladioli plants in the hotel landscape create a "phantasmal army with their swords raised." On every page the story provides proof that Sikstrom has the talent necessary to become an author of acclaim.
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