Nordic noir!
Devil's Fjord (A Faroe Islands Mystery #1) by David Hewson
A truly bleak story as tortured as the isolated area it describes. Hewson himself describes the book as, "gentle Scandi noir with a tough edge to it."
There is nothing "gentle" about this novel. It's pure, gritty Nordic noir and I loved it!
Bodies piles up, just as surely as the whale bodies do during the killing season, the "Grind" as its referred to. If you are repulsed by the garnishing of whales in what is portrayed as a traditional fisher folk activity, now rigorously governed by official regulations, then this is not the story for you. If you can move past that to seeing this as a descriptor that brings to light the harshness of this remote village life where these folk are living out the cycle of their cultural traditions, where the poverty of many of their lives becomes a background for the events that ensue, then this is a mystery for you. The folk from this community are legally entitled to hunt and trap 'blackfish' and this is a central tenet to the mystery.
Into this closed community comes a retired policeman and his wife, innocently looking for the country life. Sheriff Tristan Haraldsen and his wife Elsebeth have moved to the remote Island of Vágar, part of the Faroe archipelago of Denmark. It's the Sheriff's job to ensure that during the "grind" all goes according to the regulations. However his part does not go quite to plan. As Tristan becomes more immersed in the life, he comes to understand his naivety about his job, this village and how as an outsider he doesn't fit in. What he and Elsebeth get is more akin to gothic horror movie.
Two boys go missing. That is on top of another missing person, and the previous death of a boat captain's son. Put down to the harsh surroundings. But was it?
Then there's the policewoman with her own agenda.
Some matters are solved, if not in the normal way.
Is there redemption in this tale? I'm still left wondering. But I do know that the more I think about this story, the more I find to examine and wonder about. The various characters, how they interrelate to their community, how some take advantage of others weaknesses, destroying the supportive nature that the village has been for each other for generations over against outsiders.
There are depths here to be further explored!
A Severn ARC via NetGalley
****
A truly bleak story as tortured as the isolated area it describes. Hewson himself describes the book as, "gentle Scandi noir with a tough edge to it."
There is nothing "gentle" about this novel. It's pure, gritty Nordic noir and I loved it!
Bodies piles up, just as surely as the whale bodies do during the killing season, the "Grind" as its referred to. If you are repulsed by the garnishing of whales in what is portrayed as a traditional fisher folk activity, now rigorously governed by official regulations, then this is not the story for you. If you can move past that to seeing this as a descriptor that brings to light the harshness of this remote village life where these folk are living out the cycle of their cultural traditions, where the poverty of many of their lives becomes a background for the events that ensue, then this is a mystery for you. The folk from this community are legally entitled to hunt and trap 'blackfish' and this is a central tenet to the mystery.
Into this closed community comes a retired policeman and his wife, innocently looking for the country life. Sheriff Tristan Haraldsen and his wife Elsebeth have moved to the remote Island of Vágar, part of the Faroe archipelago of Denmark. It's the Sheriff's job to ensure that during the "grind" all goes according to the regulations. However his part does not go quite to plan. As Tristan becomes more immersed in the life, he comes to understand his naivety about his job, this village and how as an outsider he doesn't fit in. What he and Elsebeth get is more akin to gothic horror movie.
Two boys go missing. That is on top of another missing person, and the previous death of a boat captain's son. Put down to the harsh surroundings. But was it?
Then there's the policewoman with her own agenda.
Some matters are solved, if not in the normal way.
Is there redemption in this tale? I'm still left wondering. But I do know that the more I think about this story, the more I find to examine and wonder about. The various characters, how they interrelate to their community, how some take advantage of others weaknesses, destroying the supportive nature that the village has been for each other for generations over against outsiders.
There are depths here to be further explored!
A Severn ARC via NetGalley
****
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