Book Review - Smilla's Feeling for Snow

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Were you aware that the Eskimos or Inuit people of Greenland have many different words to describe snow?  Just as English uses a variety of terms for water eg: (liquid, lake, river, brook, rain, etc), so Eskimo uses the aput 'snow on the ground', gana 'falling snow', piqsirpoq 'drifting snow', and qimuqsuq 'a snow drift to name just a few. The intimate connection or “feeling” for the characteristics of the harsh arctic landscape is central to the story of crime, intrigue, and romance in “Miss Smilla’s feeling for Snow”.
 Like Greenland, the central character Miss Smillais cool, distant and reserved and gives off this feeling of loneliness. Growing up in the Arctic environment means that Smilla is a strong woman who struggles with trusting anyone, but who has also developed certain skills that enable her to solve a murder Police are convinced was as ‘accident’. A young boy falls from the roof of an apartment building in central Copenhagen. Did Isaiah jump or was he pushed? Secondary to the intriguing plot is the relationship between Danes and Greenlanders and it is an area that Høeg considers in this novel. The reasons for Smilla’s reserved nature slowly develop throughout the book by revealing pieces of her childhood in Greenland amidst the Inuits and the different social backgrounds from which each of her parents come.
“This novel is more of a feeling than anything else. Feeling of coldness, blinding whiteness and some fantastic warmness in between the two. It’s like a journey to far North where nothing but your senses remain. It’s as if you are sitting on Smilla’s coach wearing warm woollen socks and drinking hot cup of tea while contemplating the snowflakes whirling outside the window and feeling the intense cold of the winter.” (review)

Høeg’s novel was so surprisingly popular, it was made into a motion picture in 1997 starring Julia Ormond but unfortunately his subsequent novels aren't in the same vein. Still the success of the 'Smilla' movie and novel is something we could ponder about. Hope you enjoy it.

BOOK REVIEW: Johan Theorin THE DARKEST ROOM

BOOK REVIEW: Johan Theorin  THE DARKEST ROOM

Imagine a bitterly cold Swedish winter, on the bleak treeless coastal island, in an old manor house built from the wood of a wrecked ship in which scores of sailors drowned, where one's only neighbours are 2 lighthouses, one of which no longer works and is haunted. Is there any better location for a thriller/murder mystery?

The novel is set on the very real Swedish island of Oland, in mythical locations. This is the world that Joakim Westin has recently moved to, with his family of wife and two small children. The grand plans to renovate and rejuvunate the manor house is destroyed when shortly after their move, one of the family drowns not far from the house.

Joakim struggles to come to terms with the death, while others on the island become immersed in a struggle of their own. One is a young female police officer finding her feet in a new beat, and another is a young man involved in petty crimes, who becomes haunted by his the results of his misdemeanors. As Christmas approaches, a sageful relative of the police officer tells of an old Swedish folk tale where the dead come back to visit the living on the darkest night of the year. What does this mean for Joakim, and his family, isolated in the manor house during one of the worst blizzard's of the decade?

Atmosphere by the bucketload, is what you get from Theorin's spine- tingling novel. Whilst it remains a murder mystery, those who like supernatural touches or ghostly happenings would get their kicks from the story. Theorin weaves a mystery into believable occurences, yet manages to get the reader to sympathise with the bereaved man and hungry for the next chapter.



 Theorin also gets into the head of the protaganist and takes the reader on a psychological journey of grief. Themes of retribution/karma also simmer under the surface when it becomes clear what happened to Ethel.

Despite a head splitting migraine, I was determined to finish the book, such was the effect this story had on me. Be warned....

The good: Dark windswept landscape experty described. You are there... in the blinding snow with the characters.
The bad:   Would a father leave his children alone?
The ugly:  Depiction of alcoholic art tarts.......
Rating out of 10: 9



























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BOOK REVIEW : The Mind's Eye - by Håkan Nesser

"Van Veeteren was generally able to decide if he was looking the culprit in the eye in nineteen cases out of twenty, if not more.  No point in hiding his light under a bushel."

Such is the wry humour behind Håkan Nesser 1993 crime thriller novel's protaganist: Inspector Van Veeteran, which has been (ably translated from Swedish to English by Laurie Thompson, and published in 2008.

This novel is philosophical at times, due mainly to the alleged perpetrator, Janek Mitter's, a teacher of philosophy and history comments, which makes the reader ponder about the nature of life and death at several moments in the book, (something rarely found in crime fiction).

The story revolves around a disconnected innocent husband (isn't it always the husband? according to Harry Hole), who is held to trial for the murder of his wife. He claims he did not do it, and his only pathetic defence is that he has suffered a memory loss. He wakes up with a severe headache and an enormous hangover, and can't remember any events of the previous night to find his wife dead in the bath tub, (behind a locked bathroom door). Suspiciously, upon finding her, he cleans the flat and to add to his worsening prospects, he ridiculously claims in court, that he "will admit to everything if someone would give [him] a cigarette!"

Despite this, Van Veeteran has reservations that he is the real killer and this is confirmed when a month after Mitter's imprisonment in a psychiatric facility, he is murdered. The dead wife, a sex goddess type, with a dysfunctional family background is a real mystery, and the colleagues at the school where Mitter worked, seem unwilling to support him in any way.

"Eva Ringmar turned up in the fourteenth chapter of his life. Between pages 275 and 300, she played the role that overshadowed all others: the priestess of love, the goddess of passion, and then she went away, would probably continue for a while to live a sort of life between the lines, but soon she would be forgotten. It had all been so intense that it was preordained to come to an end. An episode to add to the plot? A sonnet? A will-o'-the-wisp? Finished. Dead, but not mourned. End of valediction. End of contradicton. No doubt this must be the state of shock that was driving his thoughts into such channels. That had crushed and demolished everything, made it impossible for him to grasp what had happened. To grasp what was happening to him....?"

Van Veeteran's investigation and tenacity comes from his belief in a "determinant" and this helps him solve this puzzling crime, even in the absence of leads.
An unusual story, predictable yet solvable, only in the dying pages of the book. The humour is apparent from page 1 and really sets Nesser's novel apart from other crime writers. One cannot get enough of them, and it comes highly recommended.
If you are hoping to read about the real Sweden in these pages, forget it, as the locations are as mythical as the stories! Still the Scandinavian genre of murder mysteries is evident in the winter, cold and rainy atmosphere!
I have ordered the two following sequels from Amazon already! Does that say something that I am pondering about?

The Good: Humour, in small to moderate doses that compliments the story and the philosophical touches
The Bad:  The frustration a reader feels when one's instinct tells one that the wrong person will be jailed. And the tragedy that leads to the murder and depressing nature of institutional life
The Ugly: The meaning of the title?

Rating: 9 out of 10

Here is a list of Nesser's Van Veeteran series that have been translated, thus far:
1993 The Mind's Eye translated 2008
1994 Borkmann's Point translated 2006
1995 The Return translated 2007
1996 Woman with Birthmark translated 2009
1997 The Inspector and Silence, translated 2010
1998 The Unlucky Lottery, translated 2011
1999 Hour of the Wolf, translation 2012
Three more in this series await translation.
Nesser is the winner of the Best Swedish Crime Novel Award three times over and a Glass Dagger Award in 2000 for another book in the Van Veeteren series.
Nesser has written another detective series, none of which have yet been translated into English.

Book Review - The Redeemer Jo Nesbø

# 4 in the Harry Hole Series, The Little Redeemer is the continuing story of unconventional Detective Inspector Harry Hole of the Norwegian Crime squad.  His skill for solving confusing and impossible cases, and his penchant for alcohol do not endear him to many sections of Oslo mainstream police, but no one can argue he gets results. But where does Harry draw the line? Will he still be able to distinguish between the perpetrator, the instigator, the implementer and the accessory? Can he turn a blind eye to retribution, when a close colleague dies? Will he fall prey to corruption or the hounds of alcohol? The Redeemer touches on these issues in Harry's life.

This story revolves around the Salvation Army and its pastoral community care work, this book begins in the Bosnian war with a story of Croatian soldiers. Quickly moving to a dark and freezing pre-xmas Oslo, Harry is appointed head of the team to investigate a puzzling murder, that has no motive, no murder weapon and no witnesses. In short, almost perfect, and no leads. Is it the work of a professional hitman, and if so, why does he not leave and move on to the next job and anonymity?

If you have read the Harry Hole series in order, you will by now be accustomed to Harry's unorthodox life and ways. He endears himself to the reader, even though at times one becomes frustrated by his actions.

In the novel his old friend sums up a philosophical viewpoint on crime and society in the following paragraph:

"Its chances and nuances that separate the hero from the villain. that's how it's always been. Righteousness is the virtue of the lazy and the visionless. Without lawbreakers and disobedience we would still have been living in a feudal society. "

By now I am a true Harry fan, being sucked in to the expected twists and turns the plot takes. Try as I might, I did not pick up on the clues Nesbø gave us, in Redeemer, but I did manage to score some points along the way. I think this is what is so attractive about these Nesbø plots, they keep you guessing up to the last chapter, at times to the last few pages. Even if you are in the killer's head, there are always surprises that are completely unexpected. And that is what we as readers want, isn't it?

Harry talks a little in this novel about the perfect crime, stating that the "plan was like a circle of logic that worked, the illusion of the  ( Viking motif ) snake eating itself, a self destructing creation that would guarantee nothing would be left afterwards, no loose threads." But is it truly perfect, or will the plan go horribly wrong......

If you don't read it it will only be something to ponder about.....

Crime fiction pick of the month - MARCH 2012

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Reading less than 10 crime fiction books and being a biased advocate of Scandinavian crime, I select Devil's Star by the talented Jo Nesbo as my pick of the month. Despite an unimaginative title, this book is by far and away, a great read. Twists and turns, dead ends, and false trails whet any crime reader's appetite. The series I hope gets better and better, and as there are still several books in this series ahead of me to read, I won't go in to withdrawal just yet. 

If you have not yet introduced yourself to the inimitable Harry Hole, do yourself a favour and get a copy now. 

My review of this book is found here:
http://forestwoodfolk.blogspot.com/b/post-preview?token=mt9LgzYBAAA.FZ9K5FkzbVYmhZluTr139g.3EkCQ7yRFMe2BCUG4w5bVQ&postId=8417387638805299667&type=POST
 

or Scroll down to the blog entry for March 1.

You will find other enthusiastic crime fiction fans giving their pick of the month at  
http://paradise-mysteries.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/crime-fiction-pick-of-month-march-2012.html

Something they all have pondered about...

 

BOOK REVIEW - A Boy in a Suitcase - Kaaberbol & Friis

Nina is a women with a passion to save those less fortunate for himself, even if this means that her own family incurrs a huge cost, monetarily or personally. She is asked to do a favour for an old friend which she finds difficult to refuse. Unfortunately, this leads to deadly consequences and the discovery of a small boy in a place where the title of the book suggests. Where did he come from? Should she go straight to the police? Nina has worked in Africa and in refugee camps and has seen how children returned to the very parents who sold them in the first place, for rich childless couples in the west, or for other less palatable reasons, sell them once again for a higher bid. Thus, she is hell bent on saving this young boy from a simliar fate.

I have just finished reading A Boy in a Suitcase - by Lene Kaaberbol & Agnete Friis and can say that I was pleasantly surprised. I had not heard of these authors before and discovered them when reading several reviews on this book by other Nordic reviewers. Some commenters on those bloggers reviews felt that the authors had crossed a line when they wrote about abuse/crime involving children, however, the child is NOT the victim of sexual abuse in this story, and the actual crime comprises very little of what the story is about. 

"Socially aware,"Dorthe from http://djskrimiblog.wordpress.com/ says of the book, and it does have great descriptions to enhance the reader's viual imagery such as the detailed accounts of the gestures, grimaces and small movements of the characters, and the implications of them. 


More intriguing is the purpose and goal of this crime, and it was this that I found engaging, as the reader can early  on, ascertain the more likely suspects from the list of characters. The novel also gives readers an interesting insight into Eastern Europe and the lifestyle of the past generations. 


Certain elements of the ending confounded me, however, but perhaps I have watched too many American police or forensic shows where the crime is reconstructed to check the accuracy of the reports of those involved, to be wholly accepting of the dismissive actions of the women in the final scenes. 


I would ask the author why she chose to end the story that way. Did she have a limit on the size of the book, because I can see it taking a few more frustrating chapters to sort out the mess they had made.....

Summing up:
The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis

The Good: Wonderful descriptions and characters, great to find a new series with a new heroine.
The Bad:    The casual and somewhat abrupt ending and resolution - little irritating
The Ugly:   Reasons for a child trafficking/smuggling trade become all too salient.


Rating 3 out of 5





 

 

 BOOK REVIEW:

The Devil's star  by the Wonderful JO NESBO - Harry HOLE ( hoola) series

 There is a serial killer on the loose in Oslo, but the murders are not sexually motivated. Harry Hole is the only detective with serial killer expertise in the Norwegian police force,  having brought down a killer in Sydney,in what was the first book of the series. ("Bat" published in Norwegian) With Harry Hole on  a downhill spiral of drinking too much booze and insomnia due to his own mental torture of recurring nightmares, arch enemy Tom Waaler heads up the investigative team, however Hole's boss asks unofficially for Harry's help, even though Harry's services are to be terminated in 3 weeks time, because of his failure to turn up for duty on more than one occasion due to his inebriated state.

In true, Harry style, he pursues this killer unofficially, a puzzling crime by someone who has left a trademark red diamond in the shape of a star on each of his victims. Harry has to find the Question to 'why' and not 'how' or 'who', in order to crack the cryptic code the killer has left. Time is running short and Harry is under pressure to find the killer before the fifth victim dies, but is forced to work alongside Waaler.... can he cope?

Touted as the next Stieg Larson, which is in itself, ironic, as Jo was writing and publishing books many years prior to Larson's Millenium trilogy, the reader can expect a  multitude of plot twists and turns in Nesbo's book, and likewise, should expect to be intrigued when the crime is solved only part way through the book. Therefore, one is not surprized when events suddenly take a different turn, and the reader is then led to believe that all that meets the eye is not real.... Nesbo will give you clues, but highly doubtful that most ordinary readers will pick them up. I certainly didn't.

Loved the Devils' Star even though I hated the title. I look forward to the next instalment of Harry's adventure. I could not fault Harry interpretation of events unofficial investigation; Unlike Camilla Lackberg's series, where the detective often bungles the investigation, to this reader's total frustration!)

The good: Fantasticly woven crime thriller story that keeps you guessing
The bad:   The Title - a bit unimaginative I think.....
The Ugly: the severed fingers and what is under the fingernails...
Rating: 4.5 out of 5, only because I find it difficult to give a 5 out of 5 for anything.

Can't wait to start the Redeemer, next in this series.

A few weeks ago, Jo Nesbo was touring Australia and quite openly admitted to taking some scenes in the Leopard "too far. He "regrets this", he said.  He also mentioned that he has a plan to eventuallly kill/retire the Harry Hole character. He knows how he will do it, but not yet when....

Chronology of Harry Hole series translated to English
1. The Redbreast- reviewed here http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=504112467947203806#editor/target=post;postID=7000598131250317883
2. Nemesis 
3.The Devil's star
4. Rhe Redeemer - TBR
5. The Snowman - TBR
6. The Leopard   - TBR
7. The Phantom  - TBR


( the "Bat" is the first book in the Harry Hole series but is only now in translation to English)

 
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Headhunters by Jo Nesbø

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Wow... it seems incredible, but each book I have read recently becomes my latest Favourite author/novel. This is a little ridculous, but true. Why is that? 
Well I can make this claim because I have read this book from Jo Nesbø.

Nesbo has departed from the Harry Hole series in this superbly written first person story.Those averse to novels written in the first person will find it hard going, but if you can cope with that, it is an excellent book and if you haven't read Nesbø before, I can assure you that you will again. 

Offering an insight to the world of economics and business recruitment. (no doubt Nesbø drew upon his former profession as a source for this book), this is not the usual murder mystery but a little bit of a love story, or at least besotted love, part art history/theft story and mostly  psychological thriller, as the reader is manipulated into different directions by the twists and turns of this story. 


The characters, particularly the protaganist Roger Brown, were utterly believable, and his background and mindset, so carefully woven in to the story. However the crowning glory of this book was the fact that you could never anticipate the ending, no matter what.  

Roger Brown, albeit a man of short stature, (which is the bane of his existence), is the epitome of business success with a perfect track record of recruitment, but has a dark secret that even his stunningly beautiful wife, ( who appears to be equally besotted with him) is unaware. Does she have secrets too? Why  is her heart so sad? Enter another man who intervenes in their lives in a most unexpected but equally manipulative way with deadly consequences.


The police are not present in this story, and this is in contrast to Nesbø's other Harry Hole's stories. You are Roger Brown and experience all that he experiences, even the black humour and dire situation he finds himself in when trying to elude his pursuer. This scene, which I won't detail as it will spoil it, is so completely original and hilarious at the same time and cemented my admiration for this writer. Who else could inject black humour in to the totally serious psychological thriller, but Nesbø?


Becoming a motion picture I hope will only add interest to Nesbø's work, and this work in particular. Released in Oslo 2011.


The good:  Enthralling, riveting, edge of your chair thriller, which CANNOT be put down, and this, always a hackneyed phrase, is more than accurate, in this instance. I had to finish this book in one session. Final plot twist, and all those before it as well.


The bad:   One particular scene, where the protaganist eludes his pursuer in the most unlikely of places.Hilarious, yet bad..

The ugly:  Description of a liasion gone wrong, with a female women who was not Roger's wife.



This really has to be read...... only wish I could write like this....what a talent....

Scandinavian mystery reveiws: Indriðason and Elsebeth Egholm "Next of Kin"

 Jounalist Dicte Svendsen is sent an anonymous package containing a CD in which a graphic murders takes place by someone dressed in Muslm garb. Shortly after, similar events occur in England.  Is this the work of a terrorist cell with a network bent on vengeance on the imperialist dogs?! Or a pair of nutters acting alone? And why has Dicte been targeted?

This crime has the detective stumped and the secret service also becomes involved. More hard work for our long suffering detectives, in Elsebeth Egholm's Next of Kin. Dicte Svendsen, as the journalist has to examine long forgotten elements of her past in order to uncover the link between the murder and herself. Dicte also confronts her own racial prejudices which were buried underneath denial when her daughter again begins dating a Muslim boyfriend.

Her  first book translated into English, I certainly hope it won't be her last! Given the success of this book it is highly liked that the three previous titles will trickle down to the english speaking world.

Almost every chapter finishes with a cliffhanger which means it is torture to set the book aside for continued reading the next day! Fellow readers have done a 4am finish (me a moderate 1.30am finish) in order to solve the mystery that lingers on through subconscious streams of thought.

Themes of prejudice, multicultural tolerance, freedom of speech, retribution and forgiveness are found within this book and it is likely that it was written as a reaction and ensuing furore over, the publication of the Mohammed cartoons in Denmark.  Elsebeth sets her society up for panic and hysteria and scapegoating minorities.

A great read...


The good:Suspenseful, intelligently written, teasing, darn good crime story. Spectacular translation!!!
The bad: The alleged perpetrator spills the beans too easily once confronted.
The ugly: The way the victim was killed. Ugly, but wholly necessary..

"He considered the two worlds. He lived in his own little crime world. He looked for killers and had finally found someone with a motive. No global politics here, even though the execution in Britain troubled him. Perhaps it was not more than two people on a personal crusade and not, as Stroem was fantasising, an extremist political conspiracy against society. Because that was Stroem's world. Those were the lenses he was wearing."
Something to ponder about.....

New on the Crime Scene...

Reactions to Reading reviews a new book from Arnaldur Indriðason as translated to English by Anna Yates here:  Review of Outrage by Arndaldur Indriðason

and states that "The 7th (in English anyway) of what must now be called the Reykjavik mysteries (due to the potentially sinister absence of its regular protagonist from this instalment) is a good old-fashioned police procedural in which one of Erlunder’s colleagues, gourmet cook Elinborg, investigates the murder of a young man in his Reykjavik apartment"

Hmmmm.. can't wait....

Nordic Reading Challenge - Book Review of Unspoken by Marie Jungstedt

Unspoken by Mari Jungstedt opens with the expectation of a crime about to be committed and when the deceased body is finally found, it is obvious it is a particularly vicious crime. Outwardly it appears to be an open and shut case of an alcoholic ex- press photographer, who is robbed and murdered for his recent winnings, but is this just what it is supposed to look like.  Set in the picturesque and historic villages of Gotland, an island off the coast of Sweden, this novel is the first one I read by this author yet the second in the series ( the first one being Unseen from 2006). I do wonder why she is not more widely known as her writing is pretty good, the level of intrigue  average to above average and there is no way one would suspect the killer until the closing chapters. However, some Crime readers May find this unappealing, particularly those who sometimes get "shat off" with a lack of clues to work who the identity of the killer.

Intertwined in the crime is Jungstedt's tragic story of a teenage girl, the child of a single alcoholic mother, and her personal and lonely story.  One can empathize with the plight of this girl and how her vulnerability allows her to become a victim. When she too is found dead, Detective Knutas is convinced that the murders are linked. But are the readers?

To me, This was a bit of a leap of faith and if I could level a criticism at this book it would be that I would like some more clues in order to make the leap myself, rather than have Knutas autocratically directing the audience.

I loved the descriptive element of the wintry landscape and the visuals the characters give you of their world. I do wish that I had read this series in order so that the main character's personal stories would have held more meaning. The journalist who uncovers important clues, is having an affair with a married woman, and although their story and part in the book is believable, it did become somewhat melodramatic, howeverit could be said that this is a true comment and completely indicative of modern society and the all too often failure of marriages.
To sum up:
The good:  Descriptive elements of scene and empathy I felt for Fanny's tragic story
The Bad:   Sudden and late appearance of any clues to determine the killer
The Ugly:  Leap of Faith that the murders were connected

Add to this the sad fact that there are many more Fanny's out there who thank goodness don't met a foul end, but are left to live out their miserable lonely and desparately unhappy lives. And that unfortunately is Something dark to ponder about....


If you are interested in signing up, go to Nordic challenge 2011 post sign up  at the Notes for the North blog.

Books I have read so far this year:

Stieg Larsson trilogy - parts 2 and 3
Karin Fossum - Black Seconds

Camilla Lackberg - The Preacher
Camilla Lackberg - The Stonecutter
Camilla Lackberg - The Gallows Bird
Jo Nesbø - The Redbreast
Arnaldur Indridason - Hypothermia
Andrea Heiberg - Next Stop: Sejer Island
Mari Jungstedt - Unspoken


Currently reading: Jo Nesbø  - Nemesis

TBR:

Karin Altvegen - Shame
Camilla Lackberg - The Hidden Child
Jo Nesbø - The Redeemer

 

Nordic Reading challenge 2011

I just found this wonderful idea on the net whilst reading some other blogs reviewing my favourite books. If you have not yet discovered some Nordic authors (yes those that are translated into English), then now is the time) Although I have joined a bit late, I can count those books I have already read this year, so feel I can make the Odin level, but will be aiming for Valhalla.

The challenge runs from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011 and there will be 5 levels. The levels are:

Huginn and Muninn: Read 2 books
Freya: Read 3-5 books
Tor: Read 6-10 books
Odin: Read 11-20 books
Valhalla: Read 20+ books

I will be participating at the Odin level. You do not have to make a list before hand. Any book by any author born in a Nordic country (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and/or Sweden) or a book set in a Nordic country. They can be from any genre (I will be reading a mixture of classics, children’s books, YA and mystery).

If you are interested in signing up, go to Nordic challenge 2011 post sign up  at the Notes for the North blog.

Books I have read so far this year:

Stieg Larsson trilogy - parts 2 and 3
Karin Fossum - Black Seconds

Camilla Lackberg - The Preacher
Camilla Lackberg - The Stonecutter
Camilla Lackberg - The Gallows Bird
Jo Nesbø - The Redbreast
Arnaldur Indridason - Hypothermia
Andrea Heiberg - Next Stop: Sejer Island

Currently reading: Mari Jungstedt - Unspoken

TBR:

Karin Altvegen - Shame
Camilla Lackberg - The Hidden Child
Jo Nesbø - The Redeemer
Jo Nesbø  - Nemesis

A list of Euro crime writers translated into English can be found here: Euro crime writers list

Should you join let me know here at Something to Ponder About.

Happy reading,