The Curator: everything I read in January
a journey into Nordic literature part one
In hard times, I turn to crime. Thankfully, not committed by me but safely tucked away between the pages of a book1. At the end of December, the likelihood of my brain spontaneously combusting was high, and I really needed something straightforward to soothe the anxiety receptors. Ok but crime then? you might be thinking. Yes, crime, the formula is always the same: the Bad Guys, the Good Guys, a bit of moral gray, some murder or malfeasance, some detective work, all sprinkled with interpersonal drama and (hopefully) personal growth by a character you’ve become attached to.
I had already found success with Nordic Noir titles in the past2, so I picked up Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson, the first in his Ari Thor series3. It came recommended by the internet gods, and it was the right level of unseriousness to get me through a slump.
What I didn’t count on from this choice was catching the Nordic Noir bug, which spiraled into a non-discriminatory Nordic literature mini-mania. In the same way that I am fascinated by the idea of author completionism, I am interested in how a body of work from the same global region by different authors reflects ideas about life and art. Nordic countries include Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, areas known for extreme cold and extreme lengths of day or night4. Funny how *Weather* really can be the thing that unites us…
As I go through the many titles I have now collected by Nordic authors, I hope to spark some insights and conversations about what it means to be one. But until then, I’m just out here VIBING with these dark, dank, moody, creepy, quiet, existential landscapes as they reflect the mindset of a people and the artist5.
✨Everything mentioned in this newsletter and beyond will be listed in my Bookshop.org store: Nordic Noir & Literature👻.
what I read
Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson
My first reaction to this crime thriller was that it was sorta bad, but that is perhaps an ungenerous assessment. I would say it’s the Nordic version of a Louise Penny Inspector Gamache novel with less interesting characters. The first in a six-book series about rookie policeman Ari Thor, my qualms are mostly about its thinness - of plot, dialogue, characterization, themes, writing… not a lot of complexity here. I did appreciate how the intensity of the weather mirrored the characters’ psychological status, but the plot was so disjointed I didn’t even bother trying to solve it. If you ever run out of Inspector Gamache novels6, try this series.
The vibes👻: Louise Penny lovers, readers new to crime, anyone looking for a mindless quick read.
The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo
Not my first rodeo Nesbo, sir!! Even though I am typically a Rule Follower, my first Nesbo was the 7th in the Harry Hole detective series, The Snowman, mostly because it was on all the best of lists7. Now, what I should have done was start back at number one, but between a combination of random used bookstore finds and a refusal for a book titled for Le Cucaracha (gag) to be anywhere near me, I picked up the third. As most of these series do, they start at some time in the Aftermath of a Previous Dangerous Scenario. I am sure I missed out on some contextual character development, but I believe I got the gist, and very much enjoyed the adventure8. Harry Hole is a Norweigan detective in Oslo, and in this installment, he must solve a Neo-Nazi conspiracy tied to the country’s shameful WWII past. It’s an admirable task to reach into a dark history most would rather leave unexamined, and Nesbo handles it with care while also really putting Hole through the wringer. I read in a review somewhere (forgive me, my memory) that “Nesbo hates Hole.” My initial reaction leans towards a more intense, reserved, and observant culture as motivating factors, but maybe the plot lines are all just one big punishment for this continually crucified man9. For what purpose, though?? I am now concerned for poor Mister Hole. I wasn’t planning to read another Nesbo, but I may need one more for scientific purposes.
The vibes👻: For readers who like a crime thriller with teeth, perpetually broken men who somehow make it through brutally cold winters, murder, mistakes, and scheming politicians.
The Sins of Our Fathers by Asa Larsson
After all that masculine energy, this crime novel written by and about women was deeply refreshing. Sins is the final installment in the six-part Artic Murders series10 and is hailed as one of the best Nordic crime novels of all time. I back this statement wholeheartedly. Evidence #1: The central plotline involves a female attorney (Rebecka) and a female detective (Anna-Maria) who are both realistic, layered, and complicated - one married with kids, the other single and pining, both colleagues and friends. There is a scene where Anna-Maria is contemplating some issue while cleaning; we immediately jump to Rebecka also contemplating, also cleaning; later, another character has to restrain herself from aggressively cleaning in the face of emotional trauma. Have you ever once in your life seen a male crime novel MC do housework?? Other evidences: a gentle love story featuring a couple over 65 y/o, a realistic portrayal of suicidal ideation, arguments for decriminalizing sex work, and what it means to be a woman in a male-dominated field. Like the other two crime novels, the in turns harsh and beautiful landscape takes on a symbolic moodiness reflected in each character’s emotional state. It was a tad long in parts, and I would have benefitted from the background of the first five novels, but by the end, I cared more for the characters than I did the central mystery. Just really brilliant. I may go back and read the first five.
The vibes👻: Feminist crime, moody atmosphere, diverse love stories, redemption arcs, a good slap-fight in the snow.
Girls Against God by Jenny Hval
It is super great for Hval that they marketed this as a novel, but this is not a novel. This is a self-centered naval gazing collection of somewhat insightful moments so obscured by any coherent sense of plot or reality that it was almost unreadable. This book is what I would expect from the diary of a 14-year-old girl who shops at Hot Topic and watches death metal videos on YouTube for fun. Imagine having to watch an experimental B horror movie, but it's not on the screen; you just get to read the script. That is this book. The unnamed narrator takes us on a surreal journey through her hate for God, Christian conservatism, and the color white, turning to death metal, rituals, witchcraft, art reinvention, and queerness as her crayons instead. Driven by rage, stuck in societal confines, and unable to articulate acceptable alternatives, we are forced to endure rants about the construction of language and the limits of criticism. There are pages of free association “movie” descriptions that could serve as intro pieces to a prestige TV show11. There are moments of insight that I found valuable, descriptions such as an Edvard Munch subject plotting “art-terrorism12,” but they form no coherent message or theme. I am sure this is what Hval set out to do, but I just don’t see the point. Is that the point??
The vibes👻: super duper experimental, death metal, B horror, amateur films in written form
The Morning Star by Karl Ove Knausgaard (in progress)
To be fair, I am only halfway through this book, but it has taken up the bulk of my January reading, so I needed to include it here, at least in spirit. I am fully on board the Knausgaard hype train. Because of his much-lauded My Struggle memoir series, I was intimidated to read The Morning Star. However, this novel is an incredibly readable, highly addictive story about a bunch of interconnected people on the day a mysterious new star appears in the Southern Norway sky. At times ruthlessly realistic and brutal, it is an unflinching look at the messiness of life with a supernatural (thus far) element. The threat of death and suffering is palpable, but at the halfway point, so is redemption and hope. More to come on this gem…
Have you read any of these? Thoughts??
reading 📖→
If all that wasn’t dark enough, I started Michelle McNamara’s I’ll Be Gone In the Dark on audio. I’ve attempted this one a couple of times, but the opening is SO brutal. I finally got through it and am hooked on McNamara’s combo of investigative journalism and personal experience with the GSK case. I only wish she had lived to see this monster behind bars.
book news and restacks📰→
- , “The reason these boycotts ain’t hittin like they should” puts into words what I have failed to articulate for a while now
- , “For the new and the curious” the unofficial BookStack starter pack (and not just because I am in it 😀).
consuming📽️🎧→
Presence, directed by Steven Soderberg. I was enraptured by this spooky, psychological, supernatural film. It’s marketed as horror, which I don't agree with, and included one incredibly unbelievable teenage monologue, but the weird family dynamics, POV tracking shots, and unsettling ambient sounds definitely gave me the chills.
and cats cups🐈⬛→
If I were Daria, I would be better equipped to handle the state of American politics right now.
let’s chat 👻→
I mean, how are you?
Have you ever read any Nordic authors?
What are you reading currently, and is it any good?
in case you missed it 🖤
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See you around the bookshelf!
Most likely a red & white covered one. Why are we doing this for crime? Signaling blood? Terror? Fear?
The Snowman by Jo Nesbo, The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup (lots of scary men no??)
Yes, that really is his name, which signaled what kind of book this would be right away
Among many other things, but this is where I begin
I understand we are talking about a vast group of people with cultural & political differences, and I do not assume cultural homogeneity.
Is that even possible?
and was made into a 2017 film that we will not speak of
Reddit says the first two are trash, so let’s just go with that assumption
The plot threads came perilously close to The Crow Girl status. One of the worst crime novels I have ever consumed, it is a three-part story now sold as one novel with so many converging plot lines I almost busted out the whiteboard
Once again, I start at the best and to hell with order!
Westworld comes to mind, but this is actually pretty
“In the draft of the film that is never written, the Puberty girl meets other subjects from other paintings. Together, after an eternity in stiffened oil paint, alone and objectified, the subjects plot art-terrorism.”
Opening with 'In hard times, I turn to crime' really made me laugh. I can't wait to hear what you think when you have finished Morning Star but so far so good I love the sound of it! I had NO idea it was so chunky tho.... loving the Nordic theme of January - very fitting xx
I just finished The Sinners All Bow by Kate Winkler Dawson—a true crime podcaster looks at a IRL murder trial from the 1830s where a Methodist minister in New England was acquitted of murdering his pregnant girlfriend. (She also posits that this may have inspired Hawthorne to The Scarlet Letter—maybe?) This defense lawyer and history major was fascinated though.