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Midnight Sun by Jo Nesbo (first published in 2015 by Vintage)
Let's talk Nordic Noir.
I didn't even know it was a genre when I read 2 of the 3 Girl with a Dragon Tattoo books. But I have realised I quite like the darkness and starkness of the writing.
Most recently I read a Jo Nesbo book - he being the author all Nordic Noir fans know about and like.
Midnight Sun has a title only a book written north of anywhere sensible could possibly have.
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This particular story is about a man who runs from a real drug kingpin because he owes him money and a corpse, and hides in the middle of nowhere, exactly far north of anywhere sensible.
Mixed in with the running from baddies and going fishing with a woman he likes, is that sense of relenting day time; the loss of a sense of time that day following night following day gives us; the lack of darkness in which to hide, both the self and one's thoughts.
In the land of midnight sun everything is always visible which is maybe why the people are cast as quiet, stoic, private and self-contained.
These Nordic noir characters are not verbose - that's for sure.
Not a great deal actually happens in this book. It is slow and detailed, and there is weather. There is always snow and/or sun or darkness, and/or weather in these books. Along with lots and lots of space.
However, despite the fact that the events of the story could be summarised in a longish paragraph, the book is substantial enough to keep the reader interested and invested.
I am not sure how Nesbo does it, but he manages to tell a relatively short story with enough texture to make it interesting.
The background factors create a harsh but beautiful backdrop for the stories of this genre into which is dropped dark violence conducted quite casually.
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I enjoyed the story – it is quick to read and pulls you in. I was invested in the characters.
I thought the end of the book was rushed and less than believable. It felt like it was tied up too quickly and too neatly and I didn’t really buy it all.
But I’ll read another Nesbo for sure – perhaps one of his Harry Hole novels as I have read they are deeper and more complex.
An easy read of a genre really worth exploring.
Purchase a copy from Raru.co.za.
