Rectification

Hot fiction from a cold climate

I was chatting with the guy behind the counter in my local bookshop/second home, and he was telling me how they’ve seen a massive increase in the number of people buying Scandinavian fiction. He puts it down to the success of the Stieg Larsson Millennium trilogy – The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest etc – but reckons other writers are now benefiting from the interest in his books (and his story); and that some of them are much better!

It wasn’t long ago that Scandinavian fiction would make you think of Moomin Trolls or epic Viking poems featuring quests and battles and custom rings with evil powers. Some people may have read some of the Wallander books by Henning Mankell, but now fans of dark and moody crime thrillers are spoilt for choice. As well as fellow Swede Larsson, there is the Norwegian Jo Nesbo and the author of the Reykjavik Murder Mystery series, Arnaldur Indridason.

The Icelandic books are definitely my favourites, and not just because I’ve been to Reykjavik twice on holiday and recognise some of the places and buildings! There is a touch of humour in amongst all the serious and atmospheric crime writing in Indridason’s books. Something that you could probably apply to most Icelandic people, who spend all winter practically living in the dark, and then go nuts when midsummer comes around and the sun shines for 24 hours!

If you haven’t read the Larsson trilogy, then you definitely should make them a priority; if only so that you don;t end up the only person on earth who hasn’t read them… They’re also the most accessible, the most straightforward thrillers. Both Nesbo and Indridason try something different with the genre, which can be a bit of an acquired taste, but well worth working hard to develop.

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The beauty of a book

I love watching movies. I love the graphical way a story is presented. But somehow I feel not matter how good the movie is, some details can only be conveyed by a narrator. Now obviously it would be very irritating to have a narrator speak when you are watching a movie. But this is something that is very nicely done through a book. In a book you can actually see the whole picture to the minutest detail through the imaginary eye of the writer. A good writer would have the ability to bring alive not only the character but also the whole area around him in your mind by the magical flow of the words, or the art of words.

There are times when I wonder: is it the writer or is it the vastness of my imagination that I am able to bring alive the whole story. May be even the writer would not have imagined what I imagine when I read the book. It is actually possible just as much as you and me can have tremendously different thoughts and feelings of any given thing.

The beauty of a book is however not just limited to the above but can also provide you with an opportunity to escape your present situation without hangovers. Yes, that’s true. While it could be immensely tempting to drink your way out of your depression, the thought of escaping into the world of imagination for hours or even days through a book can be equally enticing. I have to confess that in my very depressed moments I have two ways of escaping: either I read a good book or I shop for jewellery online. The first one is definitely cheaper. I must say, some books are master pieces. And I must admit there are books that I have read more than 5 times. I am not sure if it was an attempt to expect a difference in the sadder part of story or just to go in an meet the characters again.

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Reviewing Books

Reviewing books in small or Large Format Printing can be a difficult task because there are so many angles that a book can take. There is the protagonist, antagonist, supporting characters and landscapes. Each character needs to tie into the story without looking redundant. The landscapes need to firmly hold up the characters and story. One such book that does this in spades is the Winner of the Booker prize Disgrace by J.M.Coetzee. This book is set in South Africa during changing political times. Set within the bustling Cape Town and deep within the countryside. It would be difficult for a non resident to describe such authentic scenery. Coetzee manages this successfully due to his own heritage but will this book hold up to the critic’s eye. There have been arguments that critics and reviewers are too personal in their critique. This is because it can be difficult to place your perceptions into a story that you have had no experience in. For example, unless you have lived during the changing political landscape of South Africa or even lived within the countryside of South Africa then it would be difficult to know if the writer has drawn up a good representation of the situation and people found within it. There is the opposite argument that critics and reviewers are the perfect people to writing up critiques. This is because the writer draws up a story to grab the reader’s attention and if that doesn’t happen then no amount of truisms within a book will make that happen. A critic or reviewer has the objectivity to sense if a book can really grab a reader, whether or not the reviewer has any experience of the stories background. It doesn’t matter if you are a critic, reviewer or reader stories such as Coetzee’s Disgrace will either make you rave or pan it to your friends.

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