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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A very short novel...more of a novella. I listened to the audiobook version with the intriguing choice of narration by Patti Smith. She has a flat, almost monotone way of reading that definitely amps up the noir angle. Her Midwestern pronunciation of some words (like heroin) doesn't jive with the Norwegian setting, but otherwise something about her reading really works with her subtle evocation of emotion. The story itself is basically the hitman with a heart of gold...and a slice of deep darkness inside him. Olav loves reading and stories and can't seem to make any money because he keeps using his contract killing fees to do good(ish) deeds. There's the requisite femme fetale and casual brutality and suspense, but there's also a lyrical quality to the writing and an ending that manages to be surprising and inevitable all at once.
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book reminded me of Freida McFadden. There’s a lack of character development. The goal is to shock you while keeping you from being too emotionally invested in the characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Murder
It is no secret that I am a big fan of Jo Nesbo. I devoured the Harry Hole-series (isn't Harry Hole just adorable?) and really enjoyed his standalone books "the headhunter" and "the son". So it can't be a surprise that I left the store doing a little dance when I found his new standalone story "Blood on snow" last week.
"Blood on snow" is more a novella than a real novel, something we're not used to of Nesbo. Yet it works really well. In "blood on snow", we meet Olav, a Norwegian hit man who gets himself in trouble when his boss gives him a new assignment. Olav is to kill the boss' wife because she is being unfaithful to him. While observing the victim to be, Olav notices the situation may not be what it seems to his boss, and instead he kills the lover, not the wife. This maybe because Olav is trying to do the right thing, but is more due to him being madly in love with the lady. And then trouble begins….
In only 198 pages, Nesbo once again takes the reader on an incredible and unpredictable reading trip. That was to be expected. What is unexpected is that the style of this book is completely different from his previous works. Not being quite the usual who-dunnit-thriller story, it narrates the events from a very honest point of view of Olav. The part where he explains how he became a hit man is almost charming (weren't it for hit men actually killing people): he explains how he's no good at math, how he's no good at reading, how he can't drive a car decently, but killing people seems to be his thing.
Nesbo really spoils the reader with brilliant use of language, at times hilarious and funny, at times to-the-point descriptive. It almost feels like you're standing right next to the author while he describes what is going on:
"… I was thinking… I usually try to avoid doing that. It's not an area where I see any hope of improvement with practice, experience has taught me that it rarely leads to anything good…"
"..the girl's white blouse was now covered in polka dots…." (after being shot)
"… I saw that Klein's suit had twisted on the way down (after being shot), so I could see from the label inside that it was hired. But it was now so full of bullet holes that they were unlikely to want it back…."
Nesbo again manages to surprise the reader with twists and turns, but in an unexpected way. Although the story is about hit men and people wanting t kill each other, the general feeling while reading the book is not one of blood, anger and violence. The way the book is written, you sympathise with Olav, you understand why he does what he does. And the ending is just unbelievably original.
I think I am still more in love with Harry Hole than with Olav, but they are really strong competitors.
"Blood on snow" is more a novella than a real novel, something we're not used to of Nesbo. Yet it works really well. In "blood on snow", we meet Olav, a Norwegian hit man who gets himself in trouble when his boss gives him a new assignment. Olav is to kill the boss' wife because she is being unfaithful to him. While observing the victim to be, Olav notices the situation may not be what it seems to his boss, and instead he kills the lover, not the wife. This maybe because Olav is trying to do the right thing, but is more due to him being madly in love with the lady. And then trouble begins….
In only 198 pages, Nesbo once again takes the reader on an incredible and unpredictable reading trip. That was to be expected. What is unexpected is that the style of this book is completely different from his previous works. Not being quite the usual who-dunnit-thriller story, it narrates the events from a very honest point of view of Olav. The part where he explains how he became a hit man is almost charming (weren't it for hit men actually killing people): he explains how he's no good at math, how he's no good at reading, how he can't drive a car decently, but killing people seems to be his thing.
Nesbo really spoils the reader with brilliant use of language, at times hilarious and funny, at times to-the-point descriptive. It almost feels like you're standing right next to the author while he describes what is going on:
"… I was thinking… I usually try to avoid doing that. It's not an area where I see any hope of improvement with practice, experience has taught me that it rarely leads to anything good…"
"..the girl's white blouse was now covered in polka dots…." (after being shot)
"… I saw that Klein's suit had twisted on the way down (after being shot), so I could see from the label inside that it was hired. But it was now so full of bullet holes that they were unlikely to want it back…."
Nesbo again manages to surprise the reader with twists and turns, but in an unexpected way. Although the story is about hit men and people wanting t kill each other, the general feeling while reading the book is not one of blood, anger and violence. The way the book is written, you sympathise with Olav, you understand why he does what he does. And the ending is just unbelievably original.
I think I am still more in love with Harry Hole than with Olav, but they are really strong competitors.
This book read very much like a short story even though it was book length.it was interesting but, it felt like it could have been longer and been a better story for added length. It is a stand alone and has an interesting ending that adds to the main character's talking about how he makes up stories with happy endings.
1.5 stars
Unnecessarily cruel plot with characters that act in the most impossible manner. Nesbø did the female characters especially dirty. Alas, that seems to be the case in all his novels...
Fun fact: I stopped listening to this book during my commute to work because it put me in an extremely foul mood...
Unnecessarily cruel plot with characters that act in the most impossible manner. Nesbø did the female characters especially dirty. Alas, that seems to be the case in all his novels...
Fun fact: I stopped listening to this book during my commute to work because it put me in an extremely foul mood...
у несбьо є талант писати зворушливих персонажів: зворушливого поліцейського-алкоголіка, зворушливого наркомана-месника, зворушливого продажного поліцейського чи, як у "крові на снігу", зворушливого найманого вбивцю. кілька маленьких штрихів, навіть не обов'язково робити героя об'ємним чи правдоподібним – і читацьке серце прикипає до цього персонажа, закинутого в холодний і похмурий скандинавський пейзаж. а якщо персонаж іще й уміє розповідати прекрасні історії...
(але називати цю повістиночку романом – усе одно przesada).
(але називати цю повістиночку романом – усе одно przesada).
This was my choice for the Audiobook category of the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge. Patti Smith's gravelly, droning narration is perfect for this Scandinavian noir crime novel.