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schenkelberg's review
3.0
One of my professors in the Scandinavian department gave us in a small class copies of this book, but I'd never gotten around to picking it up until now. It was interesting, a Danish mystery with a nice little twirl at the end, keeping a good helping of suspense without straying beyond anything too believable. The writing was sensible and straightforward, if a little drowsy, although the criticisms of Danish society were definitely acidic.
The subtext of the book is that the protagonist, Teodor Amsted, had been built to be the way he was by society: a programmed being, who follows the track of what life is like all the way to end, the end goal being that pension upon retirement. The criticism is interesting, to see descriptions of a society that seems almost fundamentally different than the lifestyle and culture that Americans are used to. I enjoyed the read, I did see things coming but the plot dodged the easiest predictions quite nicely.
The subtext of the book is that the protagonist, Teodor Amsted, had been built to be the way he was by society: a programmed being, who follows the track of what life is like all the way to end, the end goal being that pension upon retirement. The criticism is interesting, to see descriptions of a society that seems almost fundamentally different than the lifestyle and culture that Americans are used to. I enjoyed the read, I did see things coming but the plot dodged the easiest predictions quite nicely.
csoederholm's review
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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