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A review by marko68
Black River by Will Dean
4.0
“I was never one of these girls; my deafness was so isolating at that age. I stayed indoors much of the time. Out and about I always stayed close to Dad’s leg. When I was the same page as these weed-clad carefree girls, I was still trying to make sense of the world. Nothing much has changed.” P.212
Will Dean is a master of the Scandi Noir genre. For a non-native Scandinavian, growing up in the East Midlands, Dean now lives in rural Sweden in a clearing in the centre of a vast elk forest, and clearly he draws on this location and his life there to create a story and series that has every element of the genre that gets my juices going.
Tuva Moodyson is back in Gavrik after leaving (at the end of book 2) to pursue a new place and space. She is drawn back urgently at the news that her best friend, Tammy Yamnesen has disappeared. Tuva seems to have a sixth sense or perhaps it’s a pessimistic outlook that seems to convince her that this disappearance is no innocent thing.
Tuva is deaf and uses hearing aids to access sound. She became deaf at a young age and I love how Dean maintains consistency of this attribute and defining feature throughout. Deaf identity is critical and deafness is isolating as Tuva reiterates in a range of ways over and over. The opening paragraph lifted from the book resonated with me.
One of the things I love about Dean’s writing is the mosh mash of eclectic characters he creates. The first two books took us to the outskirts of the Utgard Forest and introduced us to some wild characters, who still feature in this book. However, in Black River we meet a cast of crazies who inhabit the tiny hamlet of Snake River (new name for the Black River area), a makeshift community who live in all manner of shipping containers. It’s kind of like Scandi hillbilly central and these eclectic individuals play front and centre roles in this slow burn, page turner.
Black River is set in the Midsommar week in Sweden where summer solstice is celebrated, revered, with all of Scandinavia in the great outdoors to honour the sun and revel in days of maximum light. Dean makes full use of this time of the year in creating an atmosphere of intrigue through every page.
Excellent book. Great third instalment. 4 midsommar stars.
Will Dean is a master of the Scandi Noir genre. For a non-native Scandinavian, growing up in the East Midlands, Dean now lives in rural Sweden in a clearing in the centre of a vast elk forest, and clearly he draws on this location and his life there to create a story and series that has every element of the genre that gets my juices going.
Tuva Moodyson is back in Gavrik after leaving (at the end of book 2) to pursue a new place and space. She is drawn back urgently at the news that her best friend, Tammy Yamnesen has disappeared. Tuva seems to have a sixth sense or perhaps it’s a pessimistic outlook that seems to convince her that this disappearance is no innocent thing.
Tuva is deaf and uses hearing aids to access sound. She became deaf at a young age and I love how Dean maintains consistency of this attribute and defining feature throughout. Deaf identity is critical and deafness is isolating as Tuva reiterates in a range of ways over and over. The opening paragraph lifted from the book resonated with me.
One of the things I love about Dean’s writing is the mosh mash of eclectic characters he creates. The first two books took us to the outskirts of the Utgard Forest and introduced us to some wild characters, who still feature in this book. However, in Black River we meet a cast of crazies who inhabit the tiny hamlet of Snake River (new name for the Black River area), a makeshift community who live in all manner of shipping containers. It’s kind of like Scandi hillbilly central and these eclectic individuals play front and centre roles in this slow burn, page turner.
Black River is set in the Midsommar week in Sweden where summer solstice is celebrated, revered, with all of Scandinavia in the great outdoors to honour the sun and revel in days of maximum light. Dean makes full use of this time of the year in creating an atmosphere of intrigue through every page.
Excellent book. Great third instalment. 4 midsommar stars.