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A review by kimbofo
The Summer of Kim Novak by Håkan Nesser
3.0
Most people will know that Håkan Nesser is regarded as one of Sweden’s foremost crime writers, but The Summer of Kim Novak is more akin to a coming-of-age tale that just so happens to have a murder in it. It’s not a police procedural nor is it a typical whodunnit or whydunnit. But it does have a surprise ending in which the offender is revealed, albeit too late to bring to justice because the (Swedish) statute of limitations has expired.
The story is narrated by 14-year-old Erik, a dreamy boy, who has a crush on his relief teacher, Ewa Kaludis, who bears a striking resemblance to the Hollywood film actress Kim Novak.
When school finishes for the year, his father warns him it’s going to be a rough summer because his mother is on her deathbed.
Erik’s much older brother, Henry, will look after him during the long summer holiday before school resumes. Henry is taking the summer off to write a book and is staying in a summer house, which belongs to a relative, by Lake Möckeln, about 25km away.
Erik is allowed to bring his friend Edmund with him for company, and the pair are left to their own devices, swimming in the lake, fishing off the dock, cycling through the forest or hanging out in the nearest town.
One evening they attend a summer fair and spot their teacher, Ewa, in the crowd. It turns out she’s engaged to be married, and her financé is a big-shot handball player, Bertil “Super-Berra” Albertsson. But when they witness Super-Berra beating up another man, leaving him for dead, they’re suddenly afraid for Ewa.
Later, when Henry begins bringing Ewa home with him, both Erik and Edmund are astonished, not least because Ewa now appears to be Henry’s girlfriend. No mention is made of her financé until she turns up one day with a black eye and a split lip…
This is a quick read, one that showcases the agonies and ecstasies of young adolescence against the backdrop of a single languid life-changing summer.
To read a more detailed review, please visit my blog.
The story is narrated by 14-year-old Erik, a dreamy boy, who has a crush on his relief teacher, Ewa Kaludis, who bears a striking resemblance to the Hollywood film actress Kim Novak.
When school finishes for the year, his father warns him it’s going to be a rough summer because his mother is on her deathbed.
Erik’s much older brother, Henry, will look after him during the long summer holiday before school resumes. Henry is taking the summer off to write a book and is staying in a summer house, which belongs to a relative, by Lake Möckeln, about 25km away.
Erik is allowed to bring his friend Edmund with him for company, and the pair are left to their own devices, swimming in the lake, fishing off the dock, cycling through the forest or hanging out in the nearest town.
One evening they attend a summer fair and spot their teacher, Ewa, in the crowd. It turns out she’s engaged to be married, and her financé is a big-shot handball player, Bertil “Super-Berra” Albertsson. But when they witness Super-Berra beating up another man, leaving him for dead, they’re suddenly afraid for Ewa.
Later, when Henry begins bringing Ewa home with him, both Erik and Edmund are astonished, not least because Ewa now appears to be Henry’s girlfriend. No mention is made of her financé until she turns up one day with a black eye and a split lip…
This is a quick read, one that showcases the agonies and ecstasies of young adolescence against the backdrop of a single languid life-changing summer.
To read a more detailed review, please visit my blog.