A review by artemisia_vulgaris
Fallen Angels by Gunnar Staalesen

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

3.5

This is a frequently lyrical mystery, getting very poetic about the weather, the disappointments of middle age and the passions of youth. I got a sense of Norway, though a dated one, as the novel is from the 80s. There is some seriously upsetting subject matter, and it it is described more than once. There is also a great deal of sexism and sexual objectification of women. It’s hard to tell how much of it is the writer’s and how much the character’s, but there was an entire chapter I skipped most of, because as a mostly straight woman I found it pretty icky. I also skipped a couple of long bits of theology, which were just boring (unless you’re really into Christianity, I guess) and irritatingly placed really near the conclusion of the murder mystery. Mixed feelings. This was my first Staalsen novel, and I won’t be in a hurry to read another.
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