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matthewgrant 's review for:
The Man Who Died
by Antti Tuomainen
Finnish author Antti Tuomainen’s The Man Who Died is a bizarre, twisty, darkly comic novel about a man investigating his own murder. It’s a tightly-paced Scandinavian thriller with a wicked sense of humor and a bumbling ne’er-do-well at its center.
As the book opens, mushroom entrepreneur Jaakko Kaunismaa receives terrible news from his doctor: there are enough fatal levels of toxins in his body to kill a hippopotamus. The only reason Jaakko is still alive is because the toxin has built up in his body over time. Someone has been slowly poisoning him. With the limited time he has left, Jaakko is determined to discover his murderer. There’s no shortage of suspects. His wife is sleeping with a young employee of the business. A rival mushroom company with an affinity for samurai swords has just moved in down the road and is siphoning off his workforce. None of Jaakko’s employees are thrilled with his leadership.
The plot is sufficiently shrouded in mystery. Things are never quite what they appear to be at first. The sentences are clean and clear, filled with beautiful descriptions of Finnish countrysides and forests. Jaakko is a sympathetic protagonist. As his inner monologue narrates the story, it’s hard not to root for him. Most of the book’s humor comes from the absurd situations he continuously finds himself in. It’s not a riotously funny novel, but it has several laugh-out-loud moments. But when the mystery is finally solved, it feels tacked on as an afterthought. The reasons behind his death are too thin to be plausible. It’s the only downside to an otherwise excellent mystery story.
The strength of The Man Who Died lies in its questions rather than its answers. In Antti Tuomainen’s world, the fun comes from watching a murder investigation unfold. The result of that investigation is underwhelming, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth going along for the ride just the same.
As the book opens, mushroom entrepreneur Jaakko Kaunismaa receives terrible news from his doctor: there are enough fatal levels of toxins in his body to kill a hippopotamus. The only reason Jaakko is still alive is because the toxin has built up in his body over time. Someone has been slowly poisoning him. With the limited time he has left, Jaakko is determined to discover his murderer. There’s no shortage of suspects. His wife is sleeping with a young employee of the business. A rival mushroom company with an affinity for samurai swords has just moved in down the road and is siphoning off his workforce. None of Jaakko’s employees are thrilled with his leadership.
The plot is sufficiently shrouded in mystery. Things are never quite what they appear to be at first. The sentences are clean and clear, filled with beautiful descriptions of Finnish countrysides and forests. Jaakko is a sympathetic protagonist. As his inner monologue narrates the story, it’s hard not to root for him. Most of the book’s humor comes from the absurd situations he continuously finds himself in. It’s not a riotously funny novel, but it has several laugh-out-loud moments. But when the mystery is finally solved, it feels tacked on as an afterthought. The reasons behind his death are too thin to be plausible. It’s the only downside to an otherwise excellent mystery story.
The strength of The Man Who Died lies in its questions rather than its answers. In Antti Tuomainen’s world, the fun comes from watching a murder investigation unfold. The result of that investigation is underwhelming, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth going along for the ride just the same.