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Inspector Erlendur #7
Vetrarborgin
Á köldum janúardegi er lögreglan kölluð að blokk í Reykjavík þar sem lík hefur fundist í garðinum. Þetta reynist vera stálpaður drengur, dökkur á hörund sem liggur á grúfu í blóði sínu, frosinn fastur við svellið. Illur grunur kviknar um skelfilegan glæp. Erlendur, Elínborg og Sigurður Óli hefja rannsókn málsins og utan úr myrkri og hríðarkófi birtast um síðir staðreyndir sem eru jafnvel nöturlegri en vetrarnótt við heimskautsbaug.
333 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
247 people are currently reading
4054 people want to read
About the author
Arnaldur Indriðason
53 books3,293 followersArnaldur Indriðason has the rare distinction of having won the Nordic Crime Novel Prize two years running. He is also the winner of the highly respected and world famous CWA Gold Dagger Award for the top crime novel of the year in the English language, Silence of the Grave.
Arnaldur’s novels have sold over 14 million copies worldwide, in 40 languages, and have won numerous well-respected prizes and received rave reviews all over the world.
Arnaldur’s novels have sold over 14 million copies worldwide, in 40 languages, and have won numerous well-respected prizes and received rave reviews all over the world.
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May 4, 2025
IL SENSO DI INDRIÐASON PER LA NEVE
”Reykjavík-Rotterdam” il film del 2008 sceneggiato da Arnaldur Indriðason, diretto da Óskar Jónasson, interpretato da Baltasar Kormákur e Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson che due anni prima era stato l’ispettore Erlendur sullo schermo, diretto proprio da Baltasar Kormákur.
Indriðason ama raccontare casi che iniziano con la presentazione del morto alla prima pagina - qui si tratta di un bambino thainlandese di una decina d’anni nato in Islanda da padre indigeno e madre thailandese.
Per poi prendersi trecento e passa pagine per sciogliere questa principale indagine.
Il colpevole viene svelato nel finale: di solito prima Indriðason ci ha portato a sospettare di altri, e di solito il colpevole ha compiuto il delitto quasi casualmente, in un gesto inconsulto, non premeditato.
Al caso principale ne affianca un altro secondario: qui si tratta di una donna scomparsa.
Non vengono presentati altri delitti: se compare un altro morto è vittima di incidente, o suicidio. Qui, forse l’uno o forse l’altro, ma forse anche entrambi (tanto è importante il secondo filone d’indagine!).
Il terzo thread è il solito ricordo che angoscia il protagonista, l’ispettore Erlendur: l’incidente che da bambino portò alla morte di suo fratello minore disperso in una tormenta di neve, mai ritrovato, morto per cause naturali.
”Reykjavík-Rotterdam”: sulla sinistra Baltasar Kormákur, a destra Ólafur Darri Ólafsson.
Anche questa volta il morto viene ucciso con un’arma da taglio.
Le armi da fuoco non appartengono all’universo di Indriðason, magari perché fanno troppo rumore, oppure perché non sono abbastanza domestiche, quotidiane, casuali.
Anche questa volta l’occhio di Indriðason è più da sociologo che da psicologo, che da costruttore di trame e robusti intrecci.
Il protagonista è sempre lo stesso, un ispettore mesto e spento, che si altera quando gli fanno una domanda - domanda che per lui è sempre troppo personale, preferisce tacere, chiudere gli occhi, guardare nel vuoto - un po’ imbranato con le donne ma non fino al punto da non concretizzare un rimorchio con una più giovane e di piacevole avvenenza.
La gente che descrive sbarca il lunario, vive spesso in case zozze, dedita al bere e alle droghe.
In questo romanzo ai locali islandesi si aggiunge la popolazione d’emigrazione, thailandesi filippini vietnamiti.
”Reykjavík-Rotterdam”, il film del 2008 sceneggiato da Arnaldur Indriðason.
Il paese di accoglienza, l'Islanda, è descritto con queste parole:
Come gli accadeva spesso nel periodo più buio dell’anno, si mise a pensare al modo in cui la gente era riuscita a sopravvivere per centinai di anni in un paese con una natura tanto spietata… La gente si rintanava nelle case. Chiudeva la porta, serrava le finestre e tirava le tende, sperando che quell’ondata di gelo passasse in fretta.
Ancora una volta per me sono tre stelle.
E direi che questa è la mia ultima esperienza con Indriðason, troppo mesto e monocorde, senza guizzi, e con troppi cliché per i miei gusti.
Il remake di ”Reykjavík-Rotterdam” è americano, ma diretto da Baltasar Kormákur, che dell’originale era stato protagonista: titolo “Contraband”, 2012. Qui si vedono i quattro attori principali: Mark Wahlberg, Ben Foster, Kate Beckinsale e Giovanni Ribisi.
”Reykjavík-Rotterdam” il film del 2008 sceneggiato da Arnaldur Indriðason, diretto da Óskar Jónasson, interpretato da Baltasar Kormákur e Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson che due anni prima era stato l’ispettore Erlendur sullo schermo, diretto proprio da Baltasar Kormákur.
Indriðason ama raccontare casi che iniziano con la presentazione del morto alla prima pagina - qui si tratta di un bambino thainlandese di una decina d’anni nato in Islanda da padre indigeno e madre thailandese.
Per poi prendersi trecento e passa pagine per sciogliere questa principale indagine.
Il colpevole viene svelato nel finale: di solito prima Indriðason ci ha portato a sospettare di altri, e di solito il colpevole ha compiuto il delitto quasi casualmente, in un gesto inconsulto, non premeditato.
Al caso principale ne affianca un altro secondario: qui si tratta di una donna scomparsa.
Non vengono presentati altri delitti: se compare un altro morto è vittima di incidente, o suicidio. Qui, forse l’uno o forse l’altro, ma forse anche entrambi (tanto è importante il secondo filone d’indagine!).
Il terzo thread è il solito ricordo che angoscia il protagonista, l’ispettore Erlendur: l’incidente che da bambino portò alla morte di suo fratello minore disperso in una tormenta di neve, mai ritrovato, morto per cause naturali.
”Reykjavík-Rotterdam”: sulla sinistra Baltasar Kormákur, a destra Ólafur Darri Ólafsson.
Anche questa volta il morto viene ucciso con un’arma da taglio.
Le armi da fuoco non appartengono all’universo di Indriðason, magari perché fanno troppo rumore, oppure perché non sono abbastanza domestiche, quotidiane, casuali.
Anche questa volta l’occhio di Indriðason è più da sociologo che da psicologo, che da costruttore di trame e robusti intrecci.
Il protagonista è sempre lo stesso, un ispettore mesto e spento, che si altera quando gli fanno una domanda - domanda che per lui è sempre troppo personale, preferisce tacere, chiudere gli occhi, guardare nel vuoto - un po’ imbranato con le donne ma non fino al punto da non concretizzare un rimorchio con una più giovane e di piacevole avvenenza.
La gente che descrive sbarca il lunario, vive spesso in case zozze, dedita al bere e alle droghe.
In questo romanzo ai locali islandesi si aggiunge la popolazione d’emigrazione, thailandesi filippini vietnamiti.
”Reykjavík-Rotterdam”, il film del 2008 sceneggiato da Arnaldur Indriðason.
Il paese di accoglienza, l'Islanda, è descritto con queste parole:
Come gli accadeva spesso nel periodo più buio dell’anno, si mise a pensare al modo in cui la gente era riuscita a sopravvivere per centinai di anni in un paese con una natura tanto spietata… La gente si rintanava nelle case. Chiudeva la porta, serrava le finestre e tirava le tende, sperando che quell’ondata di gelo passasse in fretta.
Ancora una volta per me sono tre stelle.
E direi che questa è la mia ultima esperienza con Indriðason, troppo mesto e monocorde, senza guizzi, e con troppi cliché per i miei gusti.
Il remake di ”Reykjavík-Rotterdam” è americano, ma diretto da Baltasar Kormákur, che dell’originale era stato protagonista: titolo “Contraband”, 2012. Qui si vedono i quattro attori principali: Mark Wahlberg, Ben Foster, Kate Beckinsale e Giovanni Ribisi.
January 31, 2021
Arctic Chill by Arnaldur Indriðason is the seventh book in the Inspector Erlendur series. Being a nearly native Minnesotan, I am always drawn to cold-weather, snowy settings in novels, strange as that may seem. In that regard, Indriðason’s stories have it in spades. When a ten-year-old “dark-skinned boy” is found dead on the frozen ground, Erlendur and his team are called to the scene. The boy, Elias, is the son of a Thai immigrant mother and an Icelandic father. He’s been stabbed in the abdomen and bled to death. Because Iceland’s population is predominantly Caucasian, the police immediately begin questioning the motive of the killer. Was it due to racial bias?
Erlendur is a somber character. He’s haunted by the death of his younger brother when they young; his brother’s body was never found. When Erlendur’s daughter Eva Lind tries to get more information out of him, he puts her off in his reluctance to discuss the matter. For the most part, he is not a social animal. He’s divorced, is seeing a married woman, but their relationship does not particularly exude warmth and romance. With fellow detectives Elendur and Sigurdur Óli, he is a man of few words. He seems to live inside his own head a lot.
The author meticulously takes the reader step-by-step through the investigation. Witnesses are interviewed, some several times. Lies and deceptions abound. The case moves at a snail’s pace, it seems. This is Indriðason’s style – slow, steady, understated – and yet, he had me hooked. There is a mysterious woman who keeps phoning Erlendur. He’s certain it’s the woman from a missing person case, and he grows increasingly impatient because she seems frightened and uncooperative somehow. I kept wondering if this was just the author’s way of revealing Erlendur’ character, or if it somehow related to the boy’s murder.
I followed the relationships with curiosity and interest. Sunni, the mother of Elias, has a 15-year-old full-blooded Thai son, whom she brought to Iceland after she married her Icelandic husband. Now divorced, she is left with only one son, and she is extremely protective of him. This part of the plot adds to the mystery. Could this son be a suspect in his brother’s murder, or is he, too, afraid for his life?
Arnaldur Indridason’s writing is a drastic change from many of the fast-paced thrillers that many readers love. He doesn’t focus much on violence, and once the pieces begin to fall into place, things do move more quickly. I could have done with fewer details about the investigation, but the author also uses that space to mix in personal information about Erlendur and other characters. In Arctic Chill he has stoked my curiosity about what actually happened in that blizzard when his brother was lost and why he still refuses to talk about it. Indications are that that may change in the next book, Hypothermia.
4 stars
Erlendur is a somber character. He’s haunted by the death of his younger brother when they young; his brother’s body was never found. When Erlendur’s daughter Eva Lind tries to get more information out of him, he puts her off in his reluctance to discuss the matter. For the most part, he is not a social animal. He’s divorced, is seeing a married woman, but their relationship does not particularly exude warmth and romance. With fellow detectives Elendur and Sigurdur Óli, he is a man of few words. He seems to live inside his own head a lot.
The author meticulously takes the reader step-by-step through the investigation. Witnesses are interviewed, some several times. Lies and deceptions abound. The case moves at a snail’s pace, it seems. This is Indriðason’s style – slow, steady, understated – and yet, he had me hooked. There is a mysterious woman who keeps phoning Erlendur. He’s certain it’s the woman from a missing person case, and he grows increasingly impatient because she seems frightened and uncooperative somehow. I kept wondering if this was just the author’s way of revealing Erlendur’ character, or if it somehow related to the boy’s murder.
I followed the relationships with curiosity and interest. Sunni, the mother of Elias, has a 15-year-old full-blooded Thai son, whom she brought to Iceland after she married her Icelandic husband. Now divorced, she is left with only one son, and she is extremely protective of him. This part of the plot adds to the mystery. Could this son be a suspect in his brother’s murder, or is he, too, afraid for his life?
Arnaldur Indridason’s writing is a drastic change from many of the fast-paced thrillers that many readers love. He doesn’t focus much on violence, and once the pieces begin to fall into place, things do move more quickly. I could have done with fewer details about the investigation, but the author also uses that space to mix in personal information about Erlendur and other characters. In Arctic Chill he has stoked my curiosity about what actually happened in that blizzard when his brother was lost and why he still refuses to talk about it. Indications are that that may change in the next book, Hypothermia.
4 stars
January 30, 2010
Erlendur: D
mystery/thriller plotting: D-
writing: F
social commentary: D-
translation: F-
The entire murder mystery is utterly banal, the writing drab and unimaginative. I was going to say that Arnaldur really jumped the shark with this one (and that's just the type of stupid expression he and his translators would love) but I think he already did that with Voices. This is a translation that is oddly, bewilderingly, almost willfully subpar. Some examples:
A family sits down to a meal of "spaghetti with mince." Huh?
"He may not exactly have welcomed me with open arms but he didn't take against me."
"He sort of dithered about and you had to chivvy him along."
"What do you mean? I don't want to get my own back on her!" (Get back at her?)
"He was often the last to leave class....he was a sort of 'flight attendent'." (He stayed behind to clean the aisles?)
He wasn't long at all, as he told that Erlendur bloke who tore him off such a strip that he almost burst into tears. (Ripped him a new ***hole?)
"Was my boss for donkey's years, but retired a while back."
There was also the oddity of discovering that there are "colored" people in Iceland, and that these people are Asian. And the murder victim being "colored" is dangled before us as a motive, but is just a red herring. Very, very lame.
mystery/thriller plotting: D-
writing: F
social commentary: D-
translation: F-
The entire murder mystery is utterly banal, the writing drab and unimaginative. I was going to say that Arnaldur really jumped the shark with this one (and that's just the type of stupid expression he and his translators would love) but I think he already did that with Voices. This is a translation that is oddly, bewilderingly, almost willfully subpar. Some examples:
A family sits down to a meal of "spaghetti with mince." Huh?
"He may not exactly have welcomed me with open arms but he didn't take against me."
"He sort of dithered about and you had to chivvy him along."
"What do you mean? I don't want to get my own back on her!" (Get back at her?)
"He was often the last to leave class....he was a sort of 'flight attendent'." (He stayed behind to clean the aisles?)
He wasn't long at all, as he told that Erlendur bloke who tore him off such a strip that he almost burst into tears. (Ripped him a new ***hole?)
"Was my boss for donkey's years, but retired a while back."
There was also the oddity of discovering that there are "colored" people in Iceland, and that these people are Asian. And the murder victim being "colored" is dangled before us as a motive, but is just a red herring. Very, very lame.
July 4, 2025
With an upcoming trip to Iceland in the works, I wanted to tick off two boxes: a better understanding of the country and some crime thrillers to entertain me. I found this series by Arnaldur Indriðason, which has me even more excited. In the English translation’s fifth novel, Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson is called out to a chilling scene. A boy of Thai origin has been found, seemingly murdered. What begins as a simple murder investigation soon forces Erlendur and his team to sense the dark underbelly of Iceland’s sentiments towards immigrants. Arnaldur Indriðason offers up another strong thriller that forces the reader to confront many Icelandic issues head-on.
A cold January morning begins peacefully, but the Reykjavik Police are soon called to the scene of a crime scene. A boy of Thai heritage is found in a frozen pool of his own blood. Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson and his homicide squad begin their investigation, hoping that it can be solved with ease.
Erlendur chases down a lead and seeks to better understand the boy’s family. They are coy about things, but Erlendur does not let up. He begins to wonder if this might be race-related, stretching the limits of Iceland’s open-minded views on immigration.
The case falls down a rabbit hole and Erlendur is forced to remember a chaotic event from his past. The murder of a child hits hard and there is nothing that could stop Erlendur’s focus on the crime. He vows to get answers, no matter where they take him. Arnaldur Indriðason impressed once again in a series that has had me hooked sure this binge.
Arnaldur Indriðason has been someone whose books I wanted to read, but it is only now, with tickets to Reykjavík purchased, that I chose to take the plunge. I love Scandinavian noir thrillers, in which I would label this book. The book explores social issues and seeks to shed a light on the darker side of the Icelandic sentiments on certain issues. The narrative weaves an intense story that keeps the reader enthused as they learn a great deal. Characters remain on point and keep the reader curious. Plot points serve to entertain and surprise the reader, as twists emerge throughout the various page turns. Arnaldur Indriðason has me impressed once again.
Kudos, Mr. Indriðason, for not shying away from controversial issues at any point.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A cold January morning begins peacefully, but the Reykjavik Police are soon called to the scene of a crime scene. A boy of Thai heritage is found in a frozen pool of his own blood. Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson and his homicide squad begin their investigation, hoping that it can be solved with ease.
Erlendur chases down a lead and seeks to better understand the boy’s family. They are coy about things, but Erlendur does not let up. He begins to wonder if this might be race-related, stretching the limits of Iceland’s open-minded views on immigration.
The case falls down a rabbit hole and Erlendur is forced to remember a chaotic event from his past. The murder of a child hits hard and there is nothing that could stop Erlendur’s focus on the crime. He vows to get answers, no matter where they take him. Arnaldur Indriðason impressed once again in a series that has had me hooked sure this binge.
Arnaldur Indriðason has been someone whose books I wanted to read, but it is only now, with tickets to Reykjavík purchased, that I chose to take the plunge. I love Scandinavian noir thrillers, in which I would label this book. The book explores social issues and seeks to shed a light on the darker side of the Icelandic sentiments on certain issues. The narrative weaves an intense story that keeps the reader enthused as they learn a great deal. Characters remain on point and keep the reader curious. Plot points serve to entertain and surprise the reader, as twists emerge throughout the various page turns. Arnaldur Indriðason has me impressed once again.
Kudos, Mr. Indriðason, for not shying away from controversial issues at any point.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
July 17, 2018
La vita era un guazzabuglio di casualità imprevedibili che governavano il destino delle persone come una tempesta che si scatena senza preavviso e causa feriti e morte.
L’Islanda nel 2005 (anno di pubblicazione del libro) solo da pochi anni (forse un decennio) si confronta con la realtà di una società multiculturale e le difficoltà, come in tutti gli altri paesi, non sono poche. La lingua islandese, ad esempio, ha peculiarità proprie che la rendono diversa dalla maggior parte delle altre, soprattutto da quelle asiatiche: poiché la maggioranza degli immigrati proviene dal sud-est asiatico (Filippine, Thailandia, Vietnam), la questione non è irrilevante soprattutto per le ripercussioni importanti sui bambini che frequentano le scuole primarie. Se poi si pensa che è stata istituita una commissione islandese con il compito di coniare nuovi termini per impedire che parole straniere si inseriscano nel vocabolario (per esempio, la parola islandese per “Internet” è veraldarvefur che letteralmente significa “modo intrecciato”), si ha una misura di quanto la società islandese sia poco propensa al melting pot culturale. A me sembra abbastanza comprensibile perché l’Islanda ha vissuto abbastanza isolata e nel corso della sua storia non ha avuto molte occasioni per confrontarsi con altre culture; d’altro canto mi immedesimo nei nuovi arrivati e immagino le difficoltà che ostacolano un maggiore inserimento nella vita sociale del paese.
Erlendur si trova a indagare sull’omicidio di un bambino thailandese e, di conseguenza, a scontrarsi con pregiudizi razziali (da entrambe le parti coinvolte) che complicano le indagini, ma la squadra composta dal nostro eroe e dai suoi due colleghi (Sigurður Óli ed Elinborg) riesce a districarsi tra tutte le difficoltà. In questo romanzo, come già nel precedente, iniziano a emergere anche le storie personali dei due collaboratori di Erlendur: le informazioni, sempre centellinate dall��autore, aumentano l’interesse del lettore (o almeno è quello che succede a me) e diventa difficile non iniziare immediatamente il libro successivo della serie non appena arrivati all’ultima pagina.
September 1, 2020
I've read almost all of Indriðason's novels, and this one is one of my favourites.
Many readers find it difficult to get into because it deals with problems of immigration and being a foreigner in a vastly different culture. (Vietnam to Iceland) For many, the immigrant experience is just not interesting as a topic. Admittedly, if you've never been in the situation yourself, it's difficult to comprehend the little difficulties that can make it such a shattering experience.
This mystery does just that, however. It uses those little difficulties, the misunderstandings in culture and behaviour between natives and foreigners, the unwritten laws of cultural hierarchy, to weave a highly realistic picture of how it all can go vastly wrong.
The mystery itself might be too slow in its reveal for some, using as it does the traditional Scandinavian idea that police work normally jogs in place for most of the investigation — until the big break and the mystery is solved (end of novel).
Many readers find it difficult to get into because it deals with problems of immigration and being a foreigner in a vastly different culture. (Vietnam to Iceland) For many, the immigrant experience is just not interesting as a topic. Admittedly, if you've never been in the situation yourself, it's difficult to comprehend the little difficulties that can make it such a shattering experience.
This mystery does just that, however. It uses those little difficulties, the misunderstandings in culture and behaviour between natives and foreigners, the unwritten laws of cultural hierarchy, to weave a highly realistic picture of how it all can go vastly wrong.
The mystery itself might be too slow in its reveal for some, using as it does the traditional Scandinavian idea that police work normally jogs in place for most of the investigation — until the big break and the mystery is solved (end of novel).
January 13, 2021
«Πόσα δέντρα χρειάζονται για να φτιαχτεί ένα δάσος;»
Γνώρισα τον Αρναλντούρ Ιντρίντασον μέσα από το βιβλίο του «Φορμόλη» και πραγματικά τον λάτρεψα. Έκτοτε έχω διαβάσει, ανάκατα είναι η αλήθεια, κάποια από τα βιβλία της σειράς με τον επιθεωρητή Έτλεντουρ. Αν και μην παίρνοντάς τα με τη σειρά έχασα την ευκαιρία να παρακολουθήσω την εξέλιξη των χαρακτήρων, δεν αποτέλεσε τροχοπέδη στην απόλαυσή μου. Τον αγαπώ τον Ιντρίντασον και τον παρακολουθώ.
Όσον αφορά τώρα, στο 4ο βιβλίο της σειράς, ο συγγραφέας δε μας έδωσε πιστεύω τον καλύτερό του εαυτό. Σίγουρα πρόκειται για μια πολύ καλή προσπάθεια, ωστόσο έχω την αίσθηση ότι δεν κατάφερε να αποδώσει με επιτυχία, την υπέροχη ατμόσφαιρα που συνάντησα στα υπόλοιπα βιβλία του. Το θέμα του δεν ήταν αμιγώς αστυνομικό, όπως άλλωστε όλα τα προηγούμενα. Είχε πολλές κοινωνικοπολιτιστικές προεκτάσεις. Με μια βραδύκαυστη, δραματική ιστορία, ο Indridason ασχολείται με τη μετανάστευση, τη ξενοφοβία και το ρατσισμό, την κακοποίηση ανηλίκων μα και την παιδική παραβατικότητα και το bulling ενώ παράλληλα, πλέκει την αστυνομική του πλοκή και αναπτύσσει τα γεγονότα.
Έχοντας στα χέρια του ένα τόσο δυνατό «χαρτί» και με την «προϋπηρεσία» που έχει σε αυτού του είδους τη λογοτεχνία, σίγουρα περίμενα κάτι περισσότερο από αυτόν. Θεωρώ ότι άγγιξε επιφανειακά τα «καυτά» ζητήματα τα οποία πραγματεύεται κι επίσης δεν εμβάθυνε αρκετά στην αστυνομική ιστορία. Γενικότερα κι ενώ το διάβασα με ευχαρίστηση και το ολοκλήρωσα σε σύντομο χρονικό διάστημα, δε μου έδωσε όλα εκείνα που περίμενα. Σίγουρα προβληματίζει και δημιουργεί αγωνία για το τι θα συμβεί τελικά στους ήρωες, ωστόσο, δεν καλύπτει τις ανάγκες ενός λάτρη της αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας.
Παρόλ’ αυτά, αν δεν το έχεις ήδη διαβάσει, θα σου πρότεινα να το κάνεις, γιατί, αν και δεν έχουμε ν κάνουμε με τον «κλασσικό» Arnaldur Indridason, έχουμε μια ενδιαφέρουσα, δραματική ιστορία, με καλοφτιαγμένους ήρωες και μεστό και καθαρό λόγο, που δεν κουράζει. Κι επιπλέον έχουμε να κάνουμε με το συγγραφέα της καρδιάς μας. ;-)
Καλές αναγνώσεις!
Γνώρισα τον Αρναλντούρ Ιντρίντασον μέσα από το βιβλίο του «Φορμόλη» και πραγματικά τον λάτρεψα. Έκτοτε έχω διαβάσει, ανάκατα είναι η αλήθεια, κάποια από τα βιβλία της σειράς με τον επιθεωρητή Έτλεντουρ. Αν και μην παίρνοντάς τα με τη σειρά έχασα την ευκαιρία να παρακολουθήσω την εξέλιξη των χαρακτήρων, δεν αποτέλεσε τροχοπέδη στην απόλαυσή μου. Τον αγαπώ τον Ιντρίντασον και τον παρακολουθώ.
Όσον αφορά τώρα, στο 4ο βιβλίο της σειράς, ο συγγραφέας δε μας έδωσε πιστεύω τον καλύτερό του εαυτό. Σίγουρα πρόκειται για μια πολύ καλή προσπάθεια, ωστόσο έχω την αίσθηση ότι δεν κατάφερε να αποδώσει με επιτυχία, την υπέροχη ατμόσφαιρα που συνάντησα στα υπόλοιπα βιβλία του. Το θέμα του δεν ήταν αμιγώς αστυνομικό, όπως άλλωστε όλα τα προηγούμενα. Είχε πολλές κοινωνικοπολιτιστικές προεκτάσεις. Με μια βραδύκαυστη, δραματική ιστορία, ο Indridason ασχολείται με τη μετανάστευση, τη ξενοφοβία και το ρατσισμό, την κακοποίηση ανηλίκων μα και την παιδική παραβατικότητα και το bulling ενώ παράλληλα, πλέκει την αστυνομική του πλοκή και αναπτύσσει τα γεγονότα.
Έχοντας στα χέρια του ένα τόσο δυνατό «χαρτί» και με την «προϋπηρεσία» που έχει σε αυτού του είδους τη λογοτεχνία, σίγουρα περίμενα κάτι περισσότερο από αυτόν. Θεωρώ ότι άγγιξε επιφανειακά τα «καυτά» ζητήματα τα οποία πραγματεύεται κι επίσης δεν εμβάθυνε αρκετά στην αστυνομική ιστορία. Γενικότερα κι ενώ το διάβασα με ευχαρίστηση και το ολοκλήρωσα σε σύντομο χρονικό διάστημα, δε μου έδωσε όλα εκείνα που περίμενα. Σίγουρα προβληματίζει και δημιουργεί αγωνία για το τι θα συμβεί τελικά στους ήρωες, ωστόσο, δεν καλύπτει τις ανάγκες ενός λάτρη της αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας.
Παρόλ’ αυτά, αν δεν το έχεις ήδη διαβάσει, θα σου πρότεινα να το κάνεις, γιατί, αν και δεν έχουμε ν κάνουμε με τον «κλασσικό» Arnaldur Indridason, έχουμε μια ενδιαφέρουσα, δραματική ιστορία, με καλοφτιαγμένους ήρωες και μεστό και καθαρό λόγο, που δεν κουράζει. Κι επιπλέον έχουμε να κάνουμε με το συγγραφέα της καρδιάς μας. ;-)
Καλές αναγνώσεις!
June 11, 2018
Below average Erlendur tale, IMHO. It barely makes the 3 star. The tone is heavy and at the same time continually quarrelsome. And it involves 9 to 14/15 year olds so there are masses of conversations that equate to 5th grade bickering. Erlendur himself incredibly subdued and far more morose than average while he witnesses an old mentor's death after a long hospital /hospice spell.
This is about the SE Asian immigrants to Iceland. And the social commentary and much else, IMHO, suffered immensely in translation.
But the biggest negative that nearly makes it 2 star was the length. And the woman's "voice" on the phone that has no meaning at all for more than 7/8ths of the novel.
This boring read was only saved by some of the regulars and Eva Lind's sassy drama queen (the usual) dynamics.
I wouldn't recommend this one to any new Erlendur reader. In fact, if you skip it- you'd probably be better off. Most of them are much better and have a actual "who-dun-it" type of plot.
One of the weird aspects was the subject being brought up about such lenient criminal sentences and having repeaters out again. How the Icelanders like the perps more than the victims. Stated quite like that too. I thought that was interesting and quite honestly accurate.
This is about the SE Asian immigrants to Iceland. And the social commentary and much else, IMHO, suffered immensely in translation.
But the biggest negative that nearly makes it 2 star was the length. And the woman's "voice" on the phone that has no meaning at all for more than 7/8ths of the novel.
This boring read was only saved by some of the regulars and Eva Lind's sassy drama queen (the usual) dynamics.
I wouldn't recommend this one to any new Erlendur reader. In fact, if you skip it- you'd probably be better off. Most of them are much better and have a actual "who-dun-it" type of plot.
One of the weird aspects was the subject being brought up about such lenient criminal sentences and having repeaters out again. How the Icelanders like the perps more than the victims. Stated quite like that too. I thought that was interesting and quite honestly accurate.
January 28, 2022
Toujours des thèmes renouvelés chez Indridason, riche par sa diversité. Cette fois, dans ce glacial hiver islandais, enquête (parfois un peu ânonnante et confuse) sur fond de racisme. Toujours plusieurs volets différents, sans relation: le meurtre d'un petit Islando-thaï, une disparition aux raisons floues d'une femme trompée et un vieux pédophile pourchassé par celui qu'il a détruit il y a déjà longtemps. Avec Erlendur toujours hanté par son petit frère disparu il y a des années et harcelé par son étrange fille Eva Lind, mais aussi la mort de son ancienne cheffe Marion Briem, plus solitaire encore que lui. Affinement aussi des relations entre Erlendur et le prétentieux, mais complexe, Sigurdur Oli. Superbes et subtiles analyses de tous ces personnages. Avec le froid arctique joliment décrit, pas si simple de décrire le froid....
January 2, 2023
Surprisingly mediocre chapter in this otherwise exceptional series. Looking for a bouncy rebound with the next one!! 🤞
3 Lackluster Stars
3 Lackluster Stars
June 6, 2009
5th book in the series starring detective Erlendur
This crime novel is another winner and surely will become a world wide hit. As usual Indridason writes about controversial topics that are relevant in today's society. This one raised issues of immigration, multiculturalism, racism and poverty.
The story starts when a ten-year-old boy of Thai origin is found dead, frozen to the sidewalk in a Reykjavík suburb in mid-January.
Taking on the challenge are our recurring heroes: Detective Erlendur and his racy colleagues Sigurdur Oli and Elinborg. While unraveling the mystery, the writer overlaps the storyline with a second plot concerning a woman who has disappeared. This triggers a flash back for Erlendur, memories of his brother who was lost in a storm when they were young.
To make the storyline exciting the author uses powerful images and a tight prose to weave his sub- plots. To appreciate this writer, his work should be read in chronological order in order to fully understand the relationships between his characters and the ongoing life of detective Erlendur.
Arctic Chill is very involving and effective crime fiction. This is another novel in what has become an addictive series for me
This crime novel is another winner and surely will become a world wide hit. As usual Indridason writes about controversial topics that are relevant in today's society. This one raised issues of immigration, multiculturalism, racism and poverty.
The story starts when a ten-year-old boy of Thai origin is found dead, frozen to the sidewalk in a Reykjavík suburb in mid-January.
Taking on the challenge are our recurring heroes: Detective Erlendur and his racy colleagues Sigurdur Oli and Elinborg. While unraveling the mystery, the writer overlaps the storyline with a second plot concerning a woman who has disappeared. This triggers a flash back for Erlendur, memories of his brother who was lost in a storm when they were young.
To make the storyline exciting the author uses powerful images and a tight prose to weave his sub- plots. To appreciate this writer, his work should be read in chronological order in order to fully understand the relationships between his characters and the ongoing life of detective Erlendur.
Arctic Chill is very involving and effective crime fiction. This is another novel in what has become an addictive series for me
February 2, 2023
نظرة إلى غلاف الكتاب كفيلة بأن تنقلنا إلى أجواء ايسلندا شديدة البرودة حيث الصقيع والعواصف الثلجية.
في الرواية نقترب من المجتمع الإيسلندي وردود فعله تجاه المهاجرين من شرق آسيا، الذين يشكل وجودهم تهديدا لهوية البلد، حتى أن البعض يتوقع أن يواجه العرق الإسكندينافي الانقراض في أيسلندا في غضون مئة عام إذا تواصل امتزاج العرق الأبيض بالأعراق الأخرى.
نتعرف كذلك على قسوة حياة المهاجرين الذين يفضلون أحيانا عدم الانخراط في المجتمع ويكتفون بالتواصل مع أبناء بلاد شرق آسيا المتواجدين في أيسلندا.
يكتنف الرواية بعض الرتابة، وإن كانت ملائمة لأجواء الرواية الكئيبة.
--- الواحد بيحس بالذنب وهو قاعد يقرأ حتى اللحاف😁😁😁
في الرواية نقترب من المجتمع الإيسلندي وردود فعله تجاه المهاجرين من شرق آسيا، الذين يشكل وجودهم تهديدا لهوية البلد، حتى أن البعض يتوقع أن يواجه العرق الإسكندينافي الانقراض في أيسلندا في غضون مئة عام إذا تواصل امتزاج العرق الأبيض بالأعراق الأخرى.
نتعرف كذلك على قسوة حياة المهاجرين الذين يفضلون أحيانا عدم الانخراط في المجتمع ويكتفون بالتواصل مع أبناء بلاد شرق آسيا المتواجدين في أيسلندا.
يكتنف الرواية بعض الرتابة، وإن كانت ملائمة لأجواء الرواية الكئيبة.
--- الواحد بيحس بالذنب وهو قاعد يقرأ حتى اللحاف😁😁😁
November 4, 2016
قشعريرة - أرنالدور أندريداسون
أكثر ما أحبه في روايات الإيسلندي أرنالدور أندريداسون
هو السلاسة .. وهذه الرواية لم تختلف عن سابقاتها ..
يقتل طفل من أب آيسلندي وأم تايلندية طعنًا بعد خروجه من المدرسة وتجد الشرطة جثته في العراء .
يبدأ محققنا الشهير ذو الماضي المرير ارلندور القضية بدون فرضيات لكن التمييز ضد المهاجرين ومعاملتهم بعنصرية من قبل البعض وتركيز وسائل الإعلام على أنّ الفتى كان من أصول غير آيسلندية كل هذا يفرض على القضية أن تنحى مناحي أخرى .
بسلاسة كما ذكرت سابقًا نتنقل بين كل من لهم علاقة بالقضية، وبشكل شامل .
في النهاية عبثية الحياة والموت تسيطر على الموقف ..
رواية سلسة وحبكة لا بأس بها وبالطبع ممتعة .
روايات الجريمة الإسكندنافية جيدة جدًا ومسيطرة على سوق روايات الجريمة العالمية الحديث .
ولو خرجو عن الإطارات النمطية لكانت الروايات الاسكندنافية أفضل بكثير
هذا الشيء حدث هنا / لا وجود لأفكار نمطية في هذه الرواية ..
مما يجعل التقييم النهائي 3,5/5 .
في هذه الرواية تمّ التطرق من جديد لقضية دائمة في سلسلة روايات أرنالدور أندريداسون
وهو شقيق المحقق ارلندو الذي فقد بين الثلوج قبل أكثر من 40 عامًا .
وهو موضوع ملازم ومؤرق للمحقق وعلى ما يبدو هناك شيء لا نعرفه في الموضوع وأنا التي ظننت أننا عرفنا كلّ شيء .
أكثر ما أحبه في روايات الإيسلندي أرنالدور أندريداسون
هو السلاسة .. وهذه الرواية لم تختلف عن سابقاتها ..
يقتل طفل من أب آيسلندي وأم تايلندية طعنًا بعد خروجه من المدرسة وتجد الشرطة جثته في العراء .
يبدأ محققنا الشهير ذو الماضي المرير ارلندور القضية بدون فرضيات لكن التمييز ضد المهاجرين ومعاملتهم بعنصرية من قبل البعض وتركيز وسائل الإعلام على أنّ الفتى كان من أصول غير آيسلندية كل هذا يفرض على القضية أن تنحى مناحي أخرى .
بسلاسة كما ذكرت سابقًا نتنقل بين كل من لهم علاقة بالقضية، وبشكل شامل .
في النهاية عبثية الحياة والموت تسيطر على الموقف ..
رواية سلسة وحبكة لا بأس بها وبالطبع ممتعة .
روايات الجريمة الإسكندنافية جيدة جدًا ومسيطرة على سوق روايات الجريمة العالمية الحديث .
ولو خرجو عن الإطارات النمطية لكانت الروايات الاسكندنافية أفضل بكثير
هذا الشيء حدث هنا / لا وجود لأفكار نمطية في هذه الرواية ..
مما يجعل التقييم النهائي 3,5/5 .
في هذه الرواية تمّ التطرق من جديد لقضية دائمة في سلسلة روايات أرنالدور أندريداسون
وهو شقيق المحقق ارلندو الذي فقد بين الثلوج قبل أكثر من 40 عامًا .
وهو موضوع ملازم ومؤرق للمحقق وعلى ما يبدو هناك شيء لا نعرفه في الموضوع وأنا التي ظننت أننا عرفنا كلّ شيء .
February 8, 2025
داستان قتل پسری ده ساله به نام الیاس هست، الیاس پسری تایلندی هست که به همراه مادرش سونی و برادرش پونزده سالش نیران به ایسلند مهاجرت کردند، ما سه کارگاه یعنی الینبورگ، سیگودور و ارلندور همراهی میکنیم تا از معمای این قتل پرده برداریم.
اول از همه من دوست داشتم یه کتاب پلیسی از نشر قطره بخونم که تا حدودی هم حال و هوای زمستونی داشته باشه ، شروع کتاب جذاب بود ، اما تعداد زیادی شخصیت به داستان وارد میشدن که اصلا خیلی هاشون لزومی نداشت توی داستان حضور داشته باشن، جزییاتی که ما نیازی هم نبود اون ها رو بدونیم و فقط داستان رو گیج کننده کرده بود، ازهیجان داستان کم کرده بودند، توی کتاب های پلیسی معمولا سیر رخ دادن اتفاق ها سریع هست اما اینکه نویسنده واقعا اومده بود وسط اون هیجان و کنجکاوی ما برای دونستن قاتل یک سری صحبت های اضافی مثل داستان زندگی کارگاه ها کرده بود واقعا خسته کننده میکرد داستان رو، من اولش فکر میکردم قاتل استفان هست ، یعنی شخصی که ادعا داشت با تلفن همراه مقتول با پلیس تماس گرفته ، چون بعدش سونی مادر مقتول گفت که پسرش تلفن همراه نداشته اما واقعا اونقدر عصبانی هستم که میخوام سرمو بکوبم توی دیوار ، واقعاwthمنظورت چ��ه که
🔴spoiler alarm....🔴
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منظورت چیه که قاتل هیچ انگیزه ای نداشته من سیصد صفحه کتاب نخوندم که تو بیای بگی قاتل انگیزه ای نداشته و اینهمه شخصیت رو واقعا هوف نمیدونم چی بگم اینهمه شخصیت رو به داستان وارد کردی که آخر بگی قاتل دو تا پسر بودن که فقط از روی سرگرمی اینکار رو کردن؟
از پلات تویستی که مادر پسره بوده که به الندور زنگ میزده خوشم اومد ولی اینکه واقعا هیچ انگیزه ای نداشتن باعث میشه سرمو بکوبم به دیوار، یاجزییات زندگی کارگاه مثل گم شدن برادر ، یا حامله نشدن همسر اون یکی، واقعا لازم نبود و از هیجان کتاب کم می کرد، واقعا دوست دارم بخاطر قاتل ها سرمو بکوبم توی دیوار، منوخیلی عصبانی کرد.ترجمه کتاب هم کمی خیلی خیلی کم گنگ بود و من رو اذیت کرد.
⋌༼ •̀ ⌂ •́ ༽⋋
اول از همه من دوست داشتم یه کتاب پلیسی از نشر قطره بخونم که تا حدودی هم حال و هوای زمستونی داشته باشه ، شروع کتاب جذاب بود ، اما تعداد زیادی شخصیت به داستان وارد میشدن که اصلا خیلی هاشون لزومی نداشت توی داستان حضور داشته باشن، جزییاتی که ما نیازی هم نبود اون ها رو بدونیم و فقط داستان رو گیج کننده کرده بود، ازهیجان داستان کم کرده بودند، توی کتاب های پلیسی معمولا سیر رخ دادن اتفاق ها سریع هست اما اینکه نویسنده واقعا اومده بود وسط اون هیجان و کنجکاوی ما برای دونستن قاتل یک سری صحبت های اضافی مثل داستان زندگی کارگاه ها کرده بود واقعا خسته کننده میکرد داستان رو، من اولش فکر میکردم قاتل استفان هست ، یعنی شخصی که ادعا داشت با تلفن همراه مقتول با پلیس تماس گرفته ، چون بعدش سونی مادر مقتول گفت که پسرش تلفن همراه نداشته اما واقعا اونقدر عصبانی هستم که میخوام سرمو بکوبم توی دیوار ، واقعاwthمنظورت چ��ه که
🔴spoiler alarm....🔴
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منظورت چیه که قاتل هیچ انگیزه ای نداشته من سیصد صفحه کتاب نخوندم که تو بیای بگی قاتل انگیزه ای نداشته و اینهمه شخصیت رو واقعا هوف نمیدونم چی بگم اینهمه شخصیت رو به داستان وارد کردی که آخر بگی قاتل دو تا پسر بودن که فقط از روی سرگرمی اینکار رو کردن؟
از پلات تویستی که مادر پسره بوده که به الندور زنگ میزده خوشم اومد ولی اینکه واقعا هیچ انگیزه ای نداشتن باعث میشه سرمو بکوبم به دیوار، یاجزییات زندگی کارگاه مثل گم شدن برادر ، یا حامله نشدن همسر اون یکی، واقعا لازم نبود و از هیجان کتاب کم می کرد، واقعا دوست دارم بخاطر قاتل ها سرمو بکوبم توی دیوار، منوخیلی عصبانی کرد.ترجمه کتاب هم کمی خیلی خیلی کم گنگ بود و من رو اذیت کرد.
⋌༼ •̀ ⌂ •́ ༽⋋
October 31, 2008
There are some authors who are on my buy immediately list. Some of these books I can happily hoard - waiting until just the right moment to sit and enjoy them. And there are the ones that are buy and read immediately. ARCTIC CHILL has definitely been one of those books. As soon as it arrived in the house it danced around before my eyes until I could finish what I was reading and start this one.
And you know when you've picked up a fabulous book because you find yourself sitting in the car, reading it - "it's no problem I can wait in the car while you run in and do ......". You don't mind missing meals, you forget your favourite TV shows and you're finding excuses to miss meetings and social events so that you can just finish this book.
ARCTIC CHILL is also one of those unputdownable books because of the stylish way in which it scratches a number of itches - works on those points that I think make good crime fiction stand head and shoulders above many other possible reading options for me.
There's discussion and revelations of the society in which the crime occurs. In this case there is some stark observations of the difficulties of immigration within Icelandic society - from both the immigrants and the native resident viewpoint. The portrayal of both sides of the issue was fair, and deftly done - no preaching / no overt support for one side or the other. Many of these elements have considerable echoes with issues that arise in my own country, and the reminder that intolerance, suspicion as well as acceptance can be anywhere is both timely and pointed.
There's also one of those tremendous senses of place. Not just because Iceland is different climatically from elsewhere, but also in the way that the society itself is portrayed. Obviously it's a much smaller country than so many others, and their societal structures work differently from many that - for example - I'm used to. But the way that the Icelandic sensibility is portrayed in all of the Indridason books is revealing, without being a travelogue, too sentimental or too much of a documentary.
There are also great individual characters. The focus switches a little around a central group of police investigators all of whom take a different prominence throughout the individual stories, and throughout all the books. The central investigator though, the wonderfully rumpled, questioning, almost quixotic Erlendur always remains the central focus of the team though. His own personal background is complicated by the disappearance of his brother as children - an event that he has never fully come to terms with - and his divorce from his wife and separation from his children. All throught their adult years Erlendur and his two children have struggled to form a relationship which works for them all, and that struggle, whilst not taking over from the investigation or the crimes in each book, adds a level of sadness and somewhat unexpectedly hope to Erlendur.
And finally there's a good story about the death of a little boy. A child who it seems nobody could possibly have wanted dead. Unless there is a racial motive. Maybe revenge. The ultimate resolution is stark in what it says about the true nature of so much violent crime.
These books are definitely police procedurals, but they incorporate a lot of social commentary and personal insight. As atmospheric perhaps as Henning Mankell's Wallender series, Erlendur, however, isn't Wallender and there's a very different personality at work here. If you haven't read any of Arnaldur Indridason's fabulous books, then start somewhere with the series. If you can go back to the beginning, then you'll learn about him and his team as the books progress, but each also stands alone if you can't. The books so far have been:
* Jar City (also published as Tainted Blood)
* Silence of the Grave
* Voices
* The Draining Lake
* Arctic Chill
And you know when you've picked up a fabulous book because you find yourself sitting in the car, reading it - "it's no problem I can wait in the car while you run in and do ......". You don't mind missing meals, you forget your favourite TV shows and you're finding excuses to miss meetings and social events so that you can just finish this book.
ARCTIC CHILL is also one of those unputdownable books because of the stylish way in which it scratches a number of itches - works on those points that I think make good crime fiction stand head and shoulders above many other possible reading options for me.
There's discussion and revelations of the society in which the crime occurs. In this case there is some stark observations of the difficulties of immigration within Icelandic society - from both the immigrants and the native resident viewpoint. The portrayal of both sides of the issue was fair, and deftly done - no preaching / no overt support for one side or the other. Many of these elements have considerable echoes with issues that arise in my own country, and the reminder that intolerance, suspicion as well as acceptance can be anywhere is both timely and pointed.
There's also one of those tremendous senses of place. Not just because Iceland is different climatically from elsewhere, but also in the way that the society itself is portrayed. Obviously it's a much smaller country than so many others, and their societal structures work differently from many that - for example - I'm used to. But the way that the Icelandic sensibility is portrayed in all of the Indridason books is revealing, without being a travelogue, too sentimental or too much of a documentary.
There are also great individual characters. The focus switches a little around a central group of police investigators all of whom take a different prominence throughout the individual stories, and throughout all the books. The central investigator though, the wonderfully rumpled, questioning, almost quixotic Erlendur always remains the central focus of the team though. His own personal background is complicated by the disappearance of his brother as children - an event that he has never fully come to terms with - and his divorce from his wife and separation from his children. All throught their adult years Erlendur and his two children have struggled to form a relationship which works for them all, and that struggle, whilst not taking over from the investigation or the crimes in each book, adds a level of sadness and somewhat unexpectedly hope to Erlendur.
And finally there's a good story about the death of a little boy. A child who it seems nobody could possibly have wanted dead. Unless there is a racial motive. Maybe revenge. The ultimate resolution is stark in what it says about the true nature of so much violent crime.
These books are definitely police procedurals, but they incorporate a lot of social commentary and personal insight. As atmospheric perhaps as Henning Mankell's Wallender series, Erlendur, however, isn't Wallender and there's a very different personality at work here. If you haven't read any of Arnaldur Indridason's fabulous books, then start somewhere with the series. If you can go back to the beginning, then you'll learn about him and his team as the books progress, but each also stands alone if you can't. The books so far have been:
* Jar City (also published as Tainted Blood)
* Silence of the Grave
* Voices
* The Draining Lake
* Arctic Chill
June 25, 2016
Arctic Chill by Arnaldur Indridason.
This is my 10th book in the Inspector Erlendur series and hoping it never ends.
A young Thai boy is found stabbed to death in the gardens by his family's apartment. Inspector Erlendur interviews members of his family regarding the child's friends and classmates. One indication of any problems surfaces within his school. A teacher appears to hold strong prejudices against immigrants coming into Iceland from Thailand. His prejudice opinions have spilled out in his dealings with the students in and around the classroom.
It was during this investigation that Erlendur's mentor, Marion Briem, lay dying of cancer in the hospital. Marion had no family to speak of and few if any friends but none that had come to pay their last respects to her. Marion's assistance in introducing Erlendur to the police force has not been forgotten by him. The Inspector finds time to spend by her bedside to discuss his latest case.
Erlendur's grown children seem to have taken a turn for the better in growing closer to their father. His daughter, Eva Lind, and son, Sindri, are curious about the circumstances surrounding the death of the Inspector's brother. This hits a sore spot with him and he has been reluctant to have any discussions about it. Eva Lind needs to let her father know about a dream she's had regarding that tragedy.
The cast of characters that have worked so well together in past cases-Sigurdur Oli and Elinborg are together with Erlendur interviewing possible guilty parties in this murder including delving into their pasts. It's never just one case when reading an Inspector Erlendur book. It's usually one over lapping another in a slow moving process of uncovering the truth.
This is my 10th book in the Inspector Erlendur series and hoping it never ends.
A young Thai boy is found stabbed to death in the gardens by his family's apartment. Inspector Erlendur interviews members of his family regarding the child's friends and classmates. One indication of any problems surfaces within his school. A teacher appears to hold strong prejudices against immigrants coming into Iceland from Thailand. His prejudice opinions have spilled out in his dealings with the students in and around the classroom.
It was during this investigation that Erlendur's mentor, Marion Briem, lay dying of cancer in the hospital. Marion had no family to speak of and few if any friends but none that had come to pay their last respects to her. Marion's assistance in introducing Erlendur to the police force has not been forgotten by him. The Inspector finds time to spend by her bedside to discuss his latest case.
Erlendur's grown children seem to have taken a turn for the better in growing closer to their father. His daughter, Eva Lind, and son, Sindri, are curious about the circumstances surrounding the death of the Inspector's brother. This hits a sore spot with him and he has been reluctant to have any discussions about it. Eva Lind needs to let her father know about a dream she's had regarding that tragedy.
The cast of characters that have worked so well together in past cases-Sigurdur Oli and Elinborg are together with Erlendur interviewing possible guilty parties in this murder including delving into their pasts. It's never just one case when reading an Inspector Erlendur book. It's usually one over lapping another in a slow moving process of uncovering the truth.
February 13, 2022
قشعريرة
أرنالدور أندريداسون
https://youtu.be/H9UL-pV9s98
قيمتها بالأمس و أجلت المراجعة لليوم التالي لأني أنهيت الرواية في وقت متأخر من الليل ،
تبدأ الرواية بمسرح الجريمة ،
الضحية طفل في العاشرة من عمره مطعون بأداة حادة مستلق على معدته على أرض متجمدة وسط مجمع سكني، ونظرا لأن الطفل من أم تايلاندية و أب ايسلندي كانت التوقعات أن للحادث دافعا عنصريا ،
هذه الحادثة ستجعل المحقق ارلندور يستحضر الماضي، يستحضر حادثة فقدان شقيقه فتعيد له تلك الأحاسيس القديمة من أسف و خسارة و أسى ..
الرواية تميزت بالغموض خاصة أنها طرحت جريمة قتل إلياس وجريمة اختفاء امرأة مما جعل خيوط الجريمتين تتشابك في لحظة ما من القصة ،
الحبكة كانت جميلة و متماسكة .
و الأجمل أنني من خلال هذه الرواية تعرفت على المجتمع الايسلندي عن قرب بحيث سلط الكاتب الضوء على التعصب العرقي والعنصرية ضد المهاجرين من شرق آسيا الذي يجد بعض الايسلندين تواجدهم في البلد تهديدا لهوية البلد ويجعل التراث الشعبي الايسلندي يفقد ملامحه بظهور ثقافات بلاد مختلفة ،خاصة أن المهاجرين بعضهم يرفض تعلم اللغة ويرفض الإندماج مع الشعب الايسلندي ويختار الاكتفاء بالتواصل والتواجد مع أبناء بلاد شرق آسيا المتواجدين في ايسلندا " تايلاند ، الفلبين ..." و يحمل المهاجرين أغلب الجرائم التي ترتكب في البلاد.
أيضا عرفنا الكاتب على قسوة المناخ في هذا البلد الذي يعرف موجات برد قارسة ،صقيع ،عواصف ،
والانهيارات الثلجية التي ساهمت في تزايد عدد المفقودين في ايسلندا حتى نعته أحد شخوص الرواية بالأمر العادي !!
استمتعت بالقراءة والتعرف على هذا البلد الذي لم أكن أعرف عنه الكثير.
أرنالدور أندريداسون
https://youtu.be/H9UL-pV9s98
قيمتها بالأمس و أجلت المراجعة لليوم التالي لأني أنهيت الرواية في وقت متأخر من الليل ،
تبدأ الرواية بمسرح الجريمة ،
الضحية طفل في العاشرة من عمره مطعون بأداة حادة مستلق على معدته على أرض متجمدة وسط مجمع سكني، ونظرا لأن الطفل من أم تايلاندية و أب ايسلندي كانت التوقعات أن للحادث دافعا عنصريا ،
هذه الحادثة ستجعل المحقق ارلندور يستحضر الماضي، يستحضر حادثة فقدان شقيقه فتعيد له تلك الأحاسيس القديمة من أسف و خسارة و أسى ..
الرواية تميزت بالغموض خاصة أنها طرحت جريمة قتل إلياس وجريمة اختفاء امرأة مما جعل خيوط الجريمتين تتشابك في لحظة ما من القصة ،
الحبكة كانت جميلة و متماسكة .
و الأجمل أنني من خلال هذه الرواية تعرفت على المجتمع الايسلندي عن قرب بحيث سلط الكاتب الضوء على التعصب العرقي والعنصرية ضد المهاجرين من شرق آسيا الذي يجد بعض الايسلندين تواجدهم في البلد تهديدا لهوية البلد ويجعل التراث الشعبي الايسلندي يفقد ملامحه بظهور ثقافات بلاد مختلفة ،خاصة أن المهاجرين بعضهم يرفض تعلم اللغة ويرفض الإندماج مع الشعب الايسلندي ويختار الاكتفاء بالتواصل والتواجد مع أبناء بلاد شرق آسيا المتواجدين في ايسلندا " تايلاند ، الفلبين ..." و يحمل المهاجرين أغلب الجرائم التي ترتكب في البلاد.
أيضا عرفنا الكاتب على قسوة المناخ في هذا البلد الذي يعرف موجات برد قارسة ،صقيع ،عواصف ،
والانهيارات الثلجية التي ساهمت في تزايد عدد المفقودين في ايسلندا حتى نعته أحد شخوص الرواية بالأمر العادي !!
استمتعت بالقراءة والتعرف على هذا البلد الذي لم أكن أعرف عنه الكثير.
March 30, 2015
إثرَ سقوط أحد أبناء الجاليات الأجنبية (الجالية التايلندية)، صريعاً مقتولاً سابحاً في بركةٍ من دمه الذي نزفه، يهرع المحققّون لكشف ملابسات القضية للوقوف على الفاعل وخلفيات الجريمة.
باعتقادي، أراد الكاتب أن أن يُسلّط الضوء على أوضاع الجاليات الأجنبية في أيسلندا، والذين يُسمّونهم بـ (المهاجرين). لكن، بدا لي بأنه (الكاتب) كمن يسير في حقل ألغام، لا يدري متى يخطو خطوةً واحدة تكلِّفه حياته، فهو يشير إلى أوضاع (المهاجرين) بإشارات هامشية وقليلة جداً، ربما لحساسية الموضوع لِما له من صِلة بإثارة التمييز العِرقْي.
قشعريرة، لم أفهم سبب اختيار الكاتب لهذا الأسم. هل لأن الضحية هو طفل لم يتجاوز العاشرة؟!!! فبراء الطفولة لها قداسة وحرمة لا يختلف عليها إثنان، فأيُّ قلبٍ لا يتوجّع لمصرع طفلٍ في حادث، كيف إذا كان مقتولاً!
أم لأن الموضوع يلامس التمييز العِرقي والعنصري بين البشر؟!!!
عموماً، هذه الرواية، هي أقل روايات أرنالدور أندريداسون متعةً وتشويقاً وإثارة.
باعتقادي، أراد الكاتب أن أن يُسلّط الضوء على أوضاع الجاليات الأجنبية في أيسلندا، والذين يُسمّونهم بـ (المهاجرين). لكن، بدا لي بأنه (الكاتب) كمن يسير في حقل ألغام، لا يدري متى يخطو خطوةً واحدة تكلِّفه حياته، فهو يشير إلى أوضاع (المهاجرين) بإشارات هامشية وقليلة جداً، ربما لحساسية الموضوع لِما له من صِلة بإثارة التمييز العِرقْي.
قشعريرة، لم أفهم سبب اختيار الكاتب لهذا الأسم. هل لأن الضحية هو طفل لم يتجاوز العاشرة؟!!! فبراء الطفولة لها قداسة وحرمة لا يختلف عليها إثنان، فأيُّ قلبٍ لا يتوجّع لمصرع طفلٍ في حادث، كيف إذا كان مقتولاً!
أم لأن الموضوع يلامس التمييز العِرقي والعنصري بين البشر؟!!!
عموماً، هذه الرواية، هي أقل روايات أرنالدور أندريداسون متعةً وتشويقاً وإثارة.
May 16, 2021
Se me hacen cortos. Qué decir! Este caso es menos rebuscado, más sencillo, pero igual de genial que los anteriores. Erlendur sigue siendo un crack, aunque creo que su historia se dilata sin contarnos más cosas, me da igual, a mi me gusta.
June 16, 2013
After my doubts about The Draining Lake, it is good to see Arnaldur Indriðason concentrate on present-day Iceland, rather than an imagined East Germany in the 1960s. Like many European countries, Iceland has opened its borders to immigration, with some of the usual adverse results.
Arctic Chill opens with the discovery of the corpse of a ten-year-old schoolboy who has been stabbed in the stomach and left to die in the wintry streets of Reykjavik. The boy is the son of a Thai immigrant mother, who had married and subsequently divorced an Icelander. At once, there are multiple suspects, both among the teachers at the school and the students. The boys older half-brother, Niran, disappears with his mother Sunee's connivance.
On the case is detective Erlendur Sveinsson and, under him, Sigurdur Oli and the policewoman Elinborg. The hallmark of Indridason's Erlendur series is the complex personality and haunted past of the detective himself. He himself is long divorced, with a son and daughter that have been raised by his hapless ex-wife. The daughter has a history of being a junkie, while the son works odd jobs around the country. Both are interested in their father's past, especially when, as a young boy, he was with his brother Bergur in a snowstorm. At one point, he had let his brother's hand slip away from his grasp; and he had disappeared from the face of the earth.
A continuing character in the series is the prickly Marion Briem, Erlendur's former boss on the Reykjavik CID, who is dying alone in a hospice. He dies as Erlendur reads him a story that he had requested.
The combination of multi-cultural problems with their attendant racism with Erlendur's existential solitude (though his desultory relationship with Valgerdur, a pathology lab technician, shows signs of continuing) gives Arctic Chill a haunted quality. For instance, at book's end, Erlendur muses as he attends the interment of Marion Briem's ashes:
I recommend all of Indridason's Erlendur novels I have read so far (except, perhaps, for The Draining Lake, which is not quite up to the standard of the others).
Arctic Chill opens with the discovery of the corpse of a ten-year-old schoolboy who has been stabbed in the stomach and left to die in the wintry streets of Reykjavik. The boy is the son of a Thai immigrant mother, who had married and subsequently divorced an Icelander. At once, there are multiple suspects, both among the teachers at the school and the students. The boys older half-brother, Niran, disappears with his mother Sunee's connivance.
On the case is detective Erlendur Sveinsson and, under him, Sigurdur Oli and the policewoman Elinborg. The hallmark of Indridason's Erlendur series is the complex personality and haunted past of the detective himself. He himself is long divorced, with a son and daughter that have been raised by his hapless ex-wife. The daughter has a history of being a junkie, while the son works odd jobs around the country. Both are interested in their father's past, especially when, as a young boy, he was with his brother Bergur in a snowstorm. At one point, he had let his brother's hand slip away from his grasp; and he had disappeared from the face of the earth.
A continuing character in the series is the prickly Marion Briem, Erlendur's former boss on the Reykjavik CID, who is dying alone in a hospice. He dies as Erlendur reads him a story that he had requested.
The combination of multi-cultural problems with their attendant racism with Erlendur's existential solitude (though his desultory relationship with Valgerdur, a pathology lab technician, shows signs of continuing) gives Arctic Chill a haunted quality. For instance, at book's end, Erlendur muses as he attends the interment of Marion Briem's ashes:
Erlendur stood over the grave in the freezing cold, searching for a purpose to the whole business of life and death, As usual, he could find no answers. There were no final answers to explain the life-long solitude of the person in the urn, or the death of his brother all those years ago, or why Erlendur was the way he was, and why Elias [the Thai boy] was stabbed to death. Life was a random mass of unforeseeable coincidences that governed men's fates like a storm that strikes without warning, causing injury and deathSignificantly, the book's inscription is the following line from the little-known Icelandic poet, Steinn Steinarr: "Am I the one who lives on, or the other, who died?"
I recommend all of Indridason's Erlendur novels I have read so far (except, perhaps, for The Draining Lake, which is not quite up to the standard of the others).
November 29, 2019
Man I love this series! It's been awhile since I've listened to this series. In my opinion audiobook is the way to consume this series, if you have access to the audiobooks. It's great to hear the correct pronunciation of all the Icelandic names.
This is another intriguing foray of a police procedural set in Iceland. We learn a bit more about Erlandur and his cop cohorts in each book, so read them in order. I didn't guess who the was was in this 'who done it'.
This is another intriguing foray of a police procedural set in Iceland. We learn a bit more about Erlandur and his cop cohorts in each book, so read them in order. I didn't guess who the was was in this 'who done it'.
August 4, 2023
Indridason toplumcu gerçekçiliği polisiye ile harika harmanlıyor. Okuduklarım içerisinde polisiye kısmı en zayıf roman buydu. Ama ırkçılık hakkında hiç beylik sözler etmeden çok derin çıkarımlar yapıyor.
June 13, 2016
With the Iceland Noir conference coming up in November, now seemed as good a time as any to read another Erlendur novel, the first I've picked up since Voices, maybe six years ago. I wasn't overwhelmed by Voices, I will admit, but I really liked Erlendur as a detective, so such a long pause in the series does feel a bit strange to me. And for reasons I really can't remember, if I had them in the first place, I skipped over the next title in the series, The Draining Lake and went for this one instead. So, starting it, I was a bit concerned that I wouldn't remember enough of the detective's back story to follow that continuing plot line. As it turns out, I needn't have worried on the latter point, as the back story plot picks up in a new spot, but with plenty of reminders to help old readers remember, and new readers catch up.
There are an enjoyable number of intertwining circumstances and stories in this installment: Erlendur's ordeal losing his brother in a snowstorm when he was a child dovetails with the murder of a Thai child whose older brother then feels responsible for not protecting him better. Additionally, there is an ongoing missing persons case and a possible child abuse case which loom on the sidelines, effecting Erlendur's general mood and response to the case as it unfolds. Not to mention other painful life-filler, such as Sigurður Olí's ambivalence about adopting a child now that it has been determined that he and his partner can't have their own child, and Marion Briem's death.
This is also the first crime novel set in Iceland that I have read after moving here, and it is certainly interesting to read about Reykjavík and know the streets which are being mentioned, the shops, and the statues. It adds one more layer of verisimilitude.
The racial tension in the novel is presented with nuance and accuracy, I think, although I did find myself bristling at the regular use of the word "colored" to refer to Icelanders of non-white ethnicities, specifically Thai people. I have been asking around, but still am not totally sure if this is just a direct translation of a regularly used Icelandic term, or a bit of an anachronism in the English. I'm interested enough that I just might try and pick up the Icelandic version for comparison.
There are an enjoyable number of intertwining circumstances and stories in this installment: Erlendur's ordeal losing his brother in a snowstorm when he was a child dovetails with the murder of a Thai child whose older brother then feels responsible for not protecting him better. Additionally, there is an ongoing missing persons case and a possible child abuse case which loom on the sidelines, effecting Erlendur's general mood and response to the case as it unfolds. Not to mention other painful life-filler, such as Sigurður Olí's ambivalence about adopting a child now that it has been determined that he and his partner can't have their own child, and Marion Briem's death.
This is also the first crime novel set in Iceland that I have read after moving here, and it is certainly interesting to read about Reykjavík and know the streets which are being mentioned, the shops, and the statues. It adds one more layer of verisimilitude.
The racial tension in the novel is presented with nuance and accuracy, I think, although I did find myself bristling at the regular use of the word "colored" to refer to Icelanders of non-white ethnicities, specifically Thai people. I have been asking around, but still am not totally sure if this is just a direct translation of a regularly used Icelandic term, or a bit of an anachronism in the English. I'm interested enough that I just might try and pick up the Icelandic version for comparison.
June 4, 2012
Arctic Chill by Arnaldur Indridason is the seventh book in a favorite series of mine. I love the locale-Iceland and I love the detectives, especially the lead detective, a withdrawn, introverted, anguished (of course) man named Erlendur, an alienated lone. Erlendur is estranged from his children whom he left 20 years earlier when he left a poisonous marriage. His daughter has become a drug addict with periodic lapses into sobriety. His son followed the same road but cleaned up. Both appear in this novel. Erlendur is filled with guilt over abandoning them and their subsequent choices and fates.
His guilt over the loss of his children and repercussions caused by his leaving them echoes his guilt over the loss of his brother When he was a young child, he and his brother got lost in fog out on the ice. Only Erlendur was found and saved. His brother's absence is probably the most present relationship in Erlendur's life. His disappearance has led to Erlendur's obsession with cases involving lost people, especially children.
This book also takes on the situation of immigrants in Iceland and the prejudice they face. A young boy, born in Iceland but whose mother is a Thai immigrant, is found murdered. His brother soon goes missing. Erlendur and his team search for the murderer and the brother who may be dead as well.
The major question of this novel, along with (of course) who did it, is the why of the murder. Was it personal or racially motivated?
My criticism of the book (which is absorbing in its major as well as minor plot lines) is its similarity to Indridason's other books. For many pages I was confused as to whether or not I had already read this book. Only the actual case distinguished the book from its predecessors. If I hadn't already read several of the other works, I would have enjoyed this one more. I am unsure about how many stars to give the book-on its own, I give it 4, despite the lack of some of the other books' energy. (having read later books in the series, I know the series regains its momentum)
His guilt over the loss of his children and repercussions caused by his leaving them echoes his guilt over the loss of his brother When he was a young child, he and his brother got lost in fog out on the ice. Only Erlendur was found and saved. His brother's absence is probably the most present relationship in Erlendur's life. His disappearance has led to Erlendur's obsession with cases involving lost people, especially children.
This book also takes on the situation of immigrants in Iceland and the prejudice they face. A young boy, born in Iceland but whose mother is a Thai immigrant, is found murdered. His brother soon goes missing. Erlendur and his team search for the murderer and the brother who may be dead as well.
The major question of this novel, along with (of course) who did it, is the why of the murder. Was it personal or racially motivated?
My criticism of the book (which is absorbing in its major as well as minor plot lines) is its similarity to Indridason's other books. For many pages I was confused as to whether or not I had already read this book. Only the actual case distinguished the book from its predecessors. If I hadn't already read several of the other works, I would have enjoyed this one more. I am unsure about how many stars to give the book-on its own, I give it 4, despite the lack of some of the other books' energy. (having read later books in the series, I know the series regains its momentum)
February 7, 2014
Dateline February 5, 2014: Arctic Chill receives coveted "Slushee" for "WORST...SCANDINAVIAN...CRIME...NOVEL...EVER". Author A. Indridason noted for standout performance in "mediocrity of writing", "absurdity of story arc", "weakness of character development", "ignorance of police procedure", and "padding" categories. Arctic Chill is so quintessentially lame a book, no review could begin to do it justice. Any criticisms I might toss would merely be pebbles skimming the surface of this book's oceanic lameness. Like Walt Whitman, Indridason, too, contains multitudes...staggeringly lame multitudes (apologies, WW). For the first time, in a very long time, I am humbled to have read one of the least deserving books ever to have crossed an editor's pen (sleepy sleepy editor) or a publisher's desk (really, Picador?!). Nearly every character in this mercifully quick sub-inflight-quality read has occasion, on many occasions -- per the author's favorite discourse locutions -- to either "groan" or "moan" (sometimes "moan groan", and, once, "grmo-oan"). Let it be a testament to both this book and its author that I, too, inwardly groaned and moaned to the very last lame page of Arctic Chill. What a perfect waste of time. If the Platonic form of a mediocre novel exists, this may be it.
December 10, 2019
Τέταρτο βιβλίο του συγγραφέα που διαβάζω και πια ομολογώ ότι είναι ο μόνος από τη "σκανδιναβική αστυνομική λογοτεχνία" που μου έχει τραβήξει αρκετά το ενδιαφέρον ώστε να διαβάσω σχεδόν όλα όσα κυκλοφορούν στα ελληνικά από τα βιβλία του.
Η υπόθεση του βιβλίου είναι καλή. Φυσικά και δεν υπάρχει ένταση ή γρήγορη πλοκή, η δράση είναι αργή, ο Έτλεντουρ και η ομάδα του ανακρίνουν κόσμο και προσπαθούν μέσω των συζητήσεων να βρουν τον δράστη της δολοφονίας ενός μικρού αγοριού. Υπάρχουν όμως μεγάλες αποκαλύψεις και εξέλιξη του χαρακτήρα του Έτλεντουρ, αφού μας περιγράφει στιγμές από την παιδική του ηλικία που τον στοίχειωσαν και συνέβαλαν στο να γίνει ο ψυχρός αστυνομικός που μας παρουσιάζεται.
Όσον αφορά το κοινωνικό τμήμα του βιβλίου, αυτή τη φορά ο συγγραφέας ασχολείται με την μετανάστευση αφού το θύμα είναι ένας δεκάχρονος Ασιάτης. Μας περιγράφει τις δυσκολίες που συναντούν στην καθημερινότητά τους οι (καθ' όλα νόμιμοι) μετανάστες από ασιατικές χώρες ενώ δεν παραλείπει να εκφράσει και τους προβληματισμούς των Ισλανδών σχετικά με την αλλοίωση του πληθυσμού τους από τον μεγάλο αριθμό των προσφύγων. Εντάξει, αν ζούσα σε μια άλλη χώρα ή αν διάβαζα αυτό το βιβλίο κάποια χρόνια νωρίτερα ίσως να μην γελούσα με τους προβληματισμούς τους, αλλά τώρα που αναγκαστικά συγκρίνω τα λεγόμενα του συγγραφέα με την κατάσταση στην δική μου χώρα θεωρώ ότι γκρινιάζουν χωρίς λόγο. Τέλος πάντων, αυτή τη φορά το κοινωνικό μήνυμα που θέλει να μας μεταδώσει πέρασε από εμένα και δεν ακούμπησε.
Γενικά πάντως το βιβλίο είναι καλό, αν σου αρέσει ο τρόπος που γράφει ο συγγραφέας. Δεν φτάνει το "Η σιωπή του τάφου" αλλά είναι καλύτερο από τον "Άνθρωπο της λίμνης".
http://kiallovivlio.blogspot.gr
Η υπόθεση του βιβλίου είναι καλή. Φυσικά και δεν υπάρχει ένταση ή γρήγορη πλοκή, η δράση είναι αργή, ο Έτλεντουρ και η ομάδα του ανακρίνουν κόσμο και προσπαθούν μέσω των συζητήσεων να βρουν τον δράστη της δολοφονίας ενός μικρού αγοριού. Υπάρχουν όμως μεγάλες αποκαλύψεις και εξέλιξη του χαρακτήρα του Έτλεντουρ, αφού μας περιγράφει στιγμές από την παιδική του ηλικία που τον στοίχειωσαν και συνέβαλαν στο να γίνει ο ψυχρός αστυνομικός που μας παρουσιάζεται.
Όσον αφορά το κοινωνικό τμήμα του βιβλίου, αυτή τη φορά ο συγγραφέας ασχολείται με την μετανάστευση αφού το θύμα είναι ένας δεκάχρονος Ασιάτης. Μας περιγράφει τις δυσκολίες που συναντούν στην καθημερινότητά τους οι (καθ' όλα νόμιμοι) μετανάστες από ασιατικές χώρες ενώ δεν παραλείπει να εκφράσει και τους προβληματισμούς των Ισλανδών σχετικά με την αλλοίωση του πληθυσμού τους από τον μεγάλο αριθμό των προσφύγων. Εντάξει, αν ζούσα σε μια άλλη χώρα ή αν διάβαζα αυτό το βιβλίο κάποια χρόνια νωρίτερα ίσως να μην γελούσα με τους προβληματισμούς τους, αλλά τώρα που αναγκαστικά συγκρίνω τα λεγόμενα του συγγραφέα με την κατάσταση στην δική μου χώρα θεωρώ ότι γκρινιάζουν χωρίς λόγο. Τέλος πάντων, αυτή τη φορά το κοινωνικό μήνυμα που θέλει να μας μεταδώσει πέρασε από εμένα και δεν ακούμπησε.
Γενικά πάντως το βιβλίο είναι καλό, αν σου αρέσει ο τρόπος που γράφει ο συγγραφέας. Δεν φτάνει το "Η σιωπή του τάφου" αλλά είναι καλύτερο από τον "Άνθρωπο της λίμνης".
http://kiallovivlio.blogspot.gr
December 4, 2017
Lecture ennuyante. Je me suis forcée à la terminer car elle fait partie de mon Cold Winter Challenge.
Il est vrai que l'auteur aborde dans ce livre des sujets importants comme le racisme, l’intégration sociale, l'individualisme...etc, mais le rythme lent, la quasi absence d'action, les redondances...etc, ont rendu cette lecture inintéressante, ce qui fait que je l'ai "traînée" pendant 4 jours, alors que j'aurais pu la finir en 2 jours maximum. Moi qui pensais me régaler avec un thriller haletant et plein de suspense, j'ai été bien déçue.
Il est vrai que l'auteur aborde dans ce livre des sujets importants comme le racisme, l’intégration sociale, l'individualisme...etc, mais le rythme lent, la quasi absence d'action, les redondances...etc, ont rendu cette lecture inintéressante, ce qui fait que je l'ai "traînée" pendant 4 jours, alors que j'aurais pu la finir en 2 jours maximum. Moi qui pensais me régaler avec un thriller haletant et plein de suspense, j'ai été bien déçue.
July 5, 2017
Forcément, le meurtre d'un enfant ne peut laisser personne indifférent Si on y ajoute deux autres enquêtes (disparition d'une femme et traque d'un pédophile) et qu'en plus, on pimente le tout de quelques réflexions sur le racisme, l'immigration, alors on tient semble-t-il tous les atouts en main pour faire un bon polar
Et oui, bien que démarrant un peu lentement, notre trio d'enquêteurs (mais pas surhommes ni supersupersuper flics à l'américaine...) s'efforcent, en dépits de leurs problèmes personnels, de mener à bien leurs enquêtes et de trouver le ou les coupables
Mon plus gros reproche, c'est le style, lapidaire, qui ne permet pas une immersion, une plongée ni même une empathie pour les différents personnages. Quand je lis Indridason, j'ai l'impression qu' un film m'est raconté d'où ma note que certains pourront trouver sévère Note qui - je le répète- ne reflète que mon goût personnel
Je tiens à dire que j'ai lu le livre d'une traite (334 pages - peut-être aurait il fallu quelques dizaines de pages de plus pour donner un peu plus d'épaisseurs aux personnages ???) et que j'ai même noté deux ou trois passages (mais trop rares pour racheter la sécheresse de l'ensemble)
ou encore un passage qui personnalise le Froid Islandais :
Et oui, bien que démarrant un peu lentement, notre trio d'enquêteurs (mais pas surhommes ni supersupersuper flics à l'américaine...) s'efforcent, en dépits de leurs problèmes personnels, de mener à bien leurs enquêtes et de trouver le ou les coupables
Mon plus gros reproche, c'est le style, lapidaire, qui ne permet pas une immersion, une plongée ni même une empathie pour les différents personnages. Quand je lis Indridason, j'ai l'impression qu' un film m'est raconté d'où ma note que certains pourront trouver sévère Note qui - je le répète- ne reflète que mon goût personnel
Je tiens à dire que j'ai lu le livre d'une traite (334 pages - peut-être aurait il fallu quelques dizaines de pages de plus pour donner un peu plus d'épaisseurs aux personnages ???) et que j'ai même noté deux ou trois passages (mais trop rares pour racheter la sécheresse de l'ensemble)
Il désirait voir les étoiles cachées par les nuages afin d'y trouver la tranquillité, l'assurance qu'il existait quelque chose de plus vaste et de plus important que sa propre conscience, l'assurance de pouvoir se perdre, ne serait-ce qu'un instant, dans les immensités de l'espace et du temps
ou encore un passage qui personnalise le Froid Islandais :
Le froid resserra encore son emprise au fil de la soirée, renforcé par le vent glacial venu du pôle et de la mer, au nord, pour parcourir ce désert hivernal. Il s'élançait du haut de la montagne Skardsheidi, longeait les flancs de l'Esja et parcourait, la gueule béante, les basses terres où s'étendaient les habitations, cette scintillante cité de l'hiver, posée sur l'extrême rive nord du monde. Le vent s'avançait en hurlant à la mort et en sifflant entre les maisons; il envahissait les rues désertées. La ville hibernait, comme dans l'attente immobile d'une épidémie. Les gens se cloîtraient à l'intérieur. Ils fermaient les portes, les fenêtres, tiraient les rideaux en espérant que, bientôt, la vague de froid prendrait fin.
October 28, 2016
The book isn't so much a mystery as a character study, or to be more extact character studies.
Mysteries are addictive, be they filmed or book, yet in many cases fictional mysteries offer a world that really isn't our own.
Honestly, if you lived in Cabot Cove, wouldn't you move? Jessica Fletcher shows up somewhere, you would leave like there was an outbreak of plague. And Sherlock Holmes, shoot, you might as well put the cuffs on yourself.
But this flaw is because mysteries are escapism. Everything gets tied up with bow. Especially the why and the how. There is always reason, always a motive. Even bad guys have motives and reason today. Abusive father, drunken mother (or reverse that), a hamster being killed by a sibling's parrot. (Die parrot!)
Knowledge is power because knowledge brings a sense of safety. Knowing allows us to avoid something or seeing it coming. To prepare, or to at least know the risk. It's why the monster is always disappointing when you see it in the movie. Oh that's it? Actually, that's kinda cute (hence why everyone loves Disney's Beast as the Beast). It's why the Joker was so spooky. He didn't have a reason. He just was.
But if you live in a big city, if you live in human society, you know that not everything has a why, or even a how. Violence can be shocking, mindless, pointless, and stupid. Like the girl on NPR who just robbed a bank (well, I might as well) or the kids who beat a man to death (he was there, nothing personal).
It is this lack of knowledge that upsets, not just the randomness. This lack of knowledge is what Indridson (how do you Icelandic characters on a USA keyboard?) seems to be driving at in this city. Not only the why, but the how. Things we don't always know. It what makes the series good. It is what makes this book good.
Mysteries are addictive, be they filmed or book, yet in many cases fictional mysteries offer a world that really isn't our own.
Honestly, if you lived in Cabot Cove, wouldn't you move? Jessica Fletcher shows up somewhere, you would leave like there was an outbreak of plague. And Sherlock Holmes, shoot, you might as well put the cuffs on yourself.
But this flaw is because mysteries are escapism. Everything gets tied up with bow. Especially the why and the how. There is always reason, always a motive. Even bad guys have motives and reason today. Abusive father, drunken mother (or reverse that), a hamster being killed by a sibling's parrot. (Die parrot!)
Knowledge is power because knowledge brings a sense of safety. Knowing allows us to avoid something or seeing it coming. To prepare, or to at least know the risk. It's why the monster is always disappointing when you see it in the movie. Oh that's it? Actually, that's kinda cute (hence why everyone loves Disney's Beast as the Beast). It's why the Joker was so spooky. He didn't have a reason. He just was.
But if you live in a big city, if you live in human society, you know that not everything has a why, or even a how. Violence can be shocking, mindless, pointless, and stupid. Like the girl on NPR who just robbed a bank (well, I might as well) or the kids who beat a man to death (he was there, nothing personal).
It is this lack of knowledge that upsets, not just the randomness. This lack of knowledge is what Indridson (how do you Icelandic characters on a USA keyboard?) seems to be driving at in this city. Not only the why, but the how. Things we don't always know. It what makes the series good. It is what makes this book good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2010
I would read any book by Arnaldur Indridason. In Arctic Chill there are simultaneous mysteries to solve. The worst case described is that of the murder of a young boy. There is also a missing wife and a hiding-in-plain-sight possible pedophile.
The thing that I love about Indridason's books though is not just the interesting plots but the continuing characters. This is the latest installment of the Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson series. Erlendur is a complex man and his team members, Sigurdur Oli and Elinborg (a woman) are also trying to solve crimes as well as lead somewhat normal lives. Their stories are almost as interesting as the crimes to be solved. Will Erlunder ever have a good relationship with his grown children? How will Sigurdur Oli and his wife resolve their differences over adoption? Will Elinbord get enough time away from work to take care of her young daughter with the flu?
This wonderful book also examines the issues of multiculturalism and prejudice. Is it fair to expect all immigrants to forget their cultural roots and become "good" Icelandic citizens if they move to Iceland? Are they subjected to feelings of exclusion and what can be done about it?
If you want to sit down with an engrossing book, I definitely recommend Arctic Chill.
The thing that I love about Indridason's books though is not just the interesting plots but the continuing characters. This is the latest installment of the Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson series. Erlendur is a complex man and his team members, Sigurdur Oli and Elinborg (a woman) are also trying to solve crimes as well as lead somewhat normal lives. Their stories are almost as interesting as the crimes to be solved. Will Erlunder ever have a good relationship with his grown children? How will Sigurdur Oli and his wife resolve their differences over adoption? Will Elinbord get enough time away from work to take care of her young daughter with the flu?
This wonderful book also examines the issues of multiculturalism and prejudice. Is it fair to expect all immigrants to forget their cultural roots and become "good" Icelandic citizens if they move to Iceland? Are they subjected to feelings of exclusion and what can be done about it?
If you want to sit down with an engrossing book, I definitely recommend Arctic Chill.
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