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A review by jdtangney
Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell
2.0
Disappointing. Maybe it was a bad translation or maybe the original simply lacks life. This Kurt Wallander, unlike that of the Swedish TV series, is a stick figure. Characters have no depth or dimension. External forces - and forced plot pivots - drive the lackluster story along. The sentence structure, the rhythm of the language is jerky and artificial. Ok, maybe that is the translator's fault. The naive flow of the narrative reminded me of Enid Blyton, but without the charm. Actually this book lacks any charm whatsoever.
Strangely, the ebook edition I read had been edited by a dachshund or perhaps a parakeet. Any given Swedish name randomly lost its diacriticals, so Skåne became Skane. Most distracting, and adding to the overall impression of a half-assed job, either on the Mankell's part or that of the perpetrators of the English translation.
I was all charged up to read the Wallander books but after this doggerel, it's not happening.
Oh, and please don't ever mention Kenneth Branagh in relation to Wallander. That series Is a disgrace.
Strangely, the ebook edition I read had been edited by a dachshund or perhaps a parakeet. Any given Swedish name randomly lost its diacriticals, so Skåne became Skane. Most distracting, and adding to the overall impression of a half-assed job, either on the Mankell's part or that of the perpetrators of the English translation.
I was all charged up to read the Wallander books but after this doggerel, it's not happening.
Oh, and please don't ever mention Kenneth Branagh in relation to Wallander. That series Is a disgrace.