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A review by charelia
Jar City by Arnaldur Indriðason
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.75
A textbook example of a chilling Nordic noir. It took a few chapters for me to get used to Arnaldur's minimalistic writing style, but then things really picked up and I was hooked. Some of the translation decisions did feel a little out of place though; every "bloody", "bugger", “poofter”, or "bollocks" briefly yanked me out of Reykjavík and deposited me in the middle of London for a paragraph or two.
What particularly makes Jar City's characters stand out from others in the noir genre, is that they're not cool and emotionless; they're refreshingly empathetic. They often express the same outrage that the reader is expected to feel when confronted with details of human depravity. Poor Erlendur needs a holiday.
What particularly makes Jar City's characters stand out from others in the noir genre, is that they're not cool and emotionless; they're refreshingly empathetic. They often express the same outrage that the reader is expected to feel when confronted with details of human depravity. Poor Erlendur needs a holiday.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
Minor: Homophobia