Harðskafi [book re-review]
Just finished re-reading Arnaldur Indriðason‘s Hypothermia (or Harðskafi in Icelandic, for a mountain in the Western fjords central to the series), which I deem the best novel in this series I have read so far. Even more than in the other novels, the crime aspect is peripheral to the story. And even more than in the other novels, the inner thoughts of the main character get exposed and analysed. The story is so well-conducted that it is unclear for most of it that Erlendur believes or not in the supernatural that seems so prevalent in Icelandic culture. The only fausse note is the meeting between Erlandur and his ex-wife, which sounds somewhat caricaturesque. But overall this is a great Icelandic novel.
January 4, 2017 at 3:43 pm
I further read Operation Napoléon over the last days. Which I found terrible, to the point it is hard to imagine it is written by the same author as the one for the series! The characters are improbable, the plot hard to buy, and the reason for publishing the book unclear.