Take a photo of a barcode or cover
mirificmoxie 's review for:
Snowblind
by Ragnar Jónasson
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Snowblind caught my eye because it is set in Iceland which happens to be one of my top bucket list travel destinations. I also like to make an effort to read non-English authors. Life gets boring if you only read New York Times Bestsellers. So a detective novel set in remote Iceland definitely piqued my interest.
This book is listed as Nordic Noir – a subgenre which Goodreads defines as “a genre comprising crime fiction written in Scandinavia with certain common characteristics, typically in a realistic style with a dark, morally complex mood.” And that certainly is a good starting point for describing Snowblind.
This story is very character driven. In many ways it is more about the characters than the plot. The plot ties everyone together, but the meat of the story is about their thoughts and feelings rather than crime procedures. It is a slow burning story rather than being action-packed. The languorous tone and character focus reminded me of [b:In the Woods|237209|In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1)|Tana French|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348442606s/237209.jpg|3088141]. This book is not fast-paced enough to be called a Thriller even though the English version calls it that on the cover which may cause some people to go into it with false expectations. Just be patient and let the events unfold.
The story starts off with young Ari Thór takes a job as a police officer in the remote town of Siglufjörður. Ari Thór is more of a central character than a main character. His arrival is the trigger for several events and he is the character that the narrative spends the most time on, but the story also focuses on several other characters to varying degrees. The characters and small town dynamic were what made the story interesting.
I very much enjoyed the setting and the author’s descriptions. The writing was atmospheric and the imagery was striking. Most of the story takes place in Siglufjörður, Iceland - a real town on the north coast of Iceland just shy of the Arctic Circle. I was pleasantly surprised how much the descriptions reminded me of living on the Maine coast. Although there are certainly cultural differences, apparently there are a lot of commonalities between living in a small Northern coastal town in Maine and a small Northern coastal town in Iceland. So the descriptions of the blessings and curses of living in a small town rang true whether it was the annoyance of everyone knowing who you are even if you have never met them or the indisputable fact that if you weren’t born and raised there, you will always be “from away.” The descriptions of the land itself and the duality of winter being harsh yet exquisite were haunting.
If “Siglufjörður“ didn’t clue you in, the story is full Icelandic names both for the characters and the locations. The places are all real names, and yes, they are a bit of a mouthful. I did look up the pronunciation of a few of them, but I don’t think it should cause most readers too much confusion. It just shows that the setting is authentic. There were some parts where the writing seems a little choppy, but I could not tell if that was the translation or the original writing.
The story does skip around in time. Between the non-chronological parts and the multiple narrations, it was hard to tell how everything fits together at first. I did get confused a couple of times. I’ll avoid any major spoilers for the plot itself, but it did not have a nice neat bow like whodunits usually have. (I gather that is a tenant of Nordic Noir.) I appreciate the realism of loose ends and the impact of moral ambiguity more as the older I get. Sometimes I want the satisfaction of the all-inclusive neat bows, and other times I want something more realistic.
The only other thing to mention is that this is the first book in the English publication order, but apparently the original series had a different publication order. I won’t know how much of an impact that has until I read more of the series though.
Overall, I loved the atmosphere and the characters but did have some issues with the plot and pacing. I debated back and forth on whether to round my rating up or down but eventually rounded up since most of my thoughts were positive and the series shows potential. I will continue on with the series, although sadly my library does not have any of the other books yet.
RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 3 Stars
Writing Style: 4 Stars
Characters: 4 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 4 Stars
This book is listed as Nordic Noir – a subgenre which Goodreads defines as “a genre comprising crime fiction written in Scandinavia with certain common characteristics, typically in a realistic style with a dark, morally complex mood.” And that certainly is a good starting point for describing Snowblind.
This story is very character driven. In many ways it is more about the characters than the plot. The plot ties everyone together, but the meat of the story is about their thoughts and feelings rather than crime procedures. It is a slow burning story rather than being action-packed. The languorous tone and character focus reminded me of [b:In the Woods|237209|In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1)|Tana French|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348442606s/237209.jpg|3088141]. This book is not fast-paced enough to be called a Thriller even though the English version calls it that on the cover which may cause some people to go into it with false expectations. Just be patient and let the events unfold.
The story starts off with young Ari Thór takes a job as a police officer in the remote town of Siglufjörður. Ari Thór is more of a central character than a main character. His arrival is the trigger for several events and he is the character that the narrative spends the most time on, but the story also focuses on several other characters to varying degrees. The characters and small town dynamic were what made the story interesting.
I very much enjoyed the setting and the author’s descriptions. The writing was atmospheric and the imagery was striking. Most of the story takes place in Siglufjörður, Iceland - a real town on the north coast of Iceland just shy of the Arctic Circle. I was pleasantly surprised how much the descriptions reminded me of living on the Maine coast. Although there are certainly cultural differences, apparently there are a lot of commonalities between living in a small Northern coastal town in Maine and a small Northern coastal town in Iceland. So the descriptions of the blessings and curses of living in a small town rang true whether it was the annoyance of everyone knowing who you are even if you have never met them or the indisputable fact that if you weren’t born and raised there, you will always be “from away.” The descriptions of the land itself and the duality of winter being harsh yet exquisite were haunting.
If “Siglufjörður“ didn’t clue you in, the story is full Icelandic names both for the characters and the locations. The places are all real names, and yes, they are a bit of a mouthful. I did look up the pronunciation of a few of them, but I don’t think it should cause most readers too much confusion. It just shows that the setting is authentic. There were some parts where the writing seems a little choppy, but I could not tell if that was the translation or the original writing.
The story does skip around in time. Between the non-chronological parts and the multiple narrations, it was hard to tell how everything fits together at first. I did get confused a couple of times. I’ll avoid any major spoilers for the plot itself, but it did not have a nice neat bow like whodunits usually have. (I gather that is a tenant of Nordic Noir.) I appreciate the realism of loose ends and the impact of moral ambiguity more as the older I get. Sometimes I want the satisfaction of the all-inclusive neat bows, and other times I want something more realistic.
The only other thing to mention is that this is the first book in the English publication order, but apparently the original series had a different publication order. I won’t know how much of an impact that has until I read more of the series though.
Overall, I loved the atmosphere and the characters but did have some issues with the plot and pacing. I debated back and forth on whether to round my rating up or down but eventually rounded up since most of my thoughts were positive and the series shows potential. I will continue on with the series, although sadly my library does not have any of the other books yet.
RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 3 Stars
Writing Style: 4 Stars
Characters: 4 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 4 Stars