Jo Nesbø's The Redbreast

I received The Redbreast as a 'gift' from iTunes over Christmas for my iPod (they had a 12 days of Christmas freebie thing, totally worth it, I got 3 Foo Fighters songs, a book and sonic racing).
I actually really dislike reading things on screens, I am a trainee librarian and admit to being all about the books, so I did avoid reading The Redbreast until last month (May) when I needed something to do on the train.

Though I maintain a dislike of e-books and reading lengthy novels via a small screen, I enjoyed Jo Nesbø's third offering from his Harry Hole series. Despite it being the third novel I didn't find I needed to have read the first two to understand who Harry was as the story itself is so remote from the goings on previously that all you need to understand is something big happened in his past which has lead to occasional alcoholism.

So The Redbreast is a mix of present day (1999-2000) and the latter years of the Second World War. It follows Harry Hole, a police detective in Norway who, after an unfortunate incident at the start of the book, is promoted to Inspector to keep him hidden away from public police work.
Bored in his new post and frustrated by the release of a criminal he had caught on a technicality, Harry latches onto a neo-Nazi related case that comes across his desk.
Meanwhile an unnamed old man has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, which sets in motion a series of events from his frustration of the changes in Norway since 1945.

Interspersed with the present day goings on of this mysterious (and violent) old man and Harry Hole's investigation are moments from 1944 in the trenches of the Norwegian men who followed Hitler into war. I have to admit my ignorance of Norway's role in the Second World War as I didn't know they had joined the Nazis, or that the royal family and members of the government had fled to the UK for safety.
You know that the people in these snippets of life during WW2 must be connected to the present day but it is highly clever what that connection turns out to be.

The narrative is clear and Nesbø's writing style is very easy to follow, even in translation. The plot is quite descriptive but gives nothing away until the appropriate moment.
I was constantly guessing what the connection could be, but I wasn't gripped by the book until one particularly harrowing moment about halfway through, which is never fully satisfied and leads on to Harry Hole's next book. I won't spoil what happens but it is akin to that moment in Girl With The Dragon Tattoo when Lisbeth is brutally raped and you become hooked on wanting to know how the bastard is going to get his comeuppance.

I found the history of Norway in WW2 fascinating. Though told through snippets each one painted a clear image of life in the trenches and hospitals in Hitler's Europe. Of course as these are narrative they are most likely more liberal with the truth, however even just finding out Norway was the source of troops for the Fuhrer was enough to pique my historical interest in the novel.

Make no mistake there is a lot of violence in this novel. It is not gratuitous and is easily read by a wuss such as myself but if you are so squeamish you cannot read about paper-cuts you might not like this novel. A great deal of the violence occurs off-camera so to speak, you do not witness the violent act, apart from the harrowing episode already mentioned. With that you feel quite removed from the action, as Harry is, and play detective alongside.

I would highly recommend this novel to people unsure they are fans of detective fiction as, until I read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, I was positive I only enjoyed novels with wizards in them.
There is a difference between British or American detective novels and the Scandinavian offerings which I believe to be the style. Both Larsson and Nesbø have an almost clinical take on the truly harrowing parts of their novels, but then inject such warmth and humanity into other areas that you become truly on the side of the hero. What is also important, and I think true of all detective novels, is that the hero is fundamentally flawed.

Harry Hole is an alcoholic, unwilling to be in the spotlight, but a brilliant detective. As a reader you are willing for him to buck up his ideas, be kinder to those around him, and at one point to PICK UP THE PHONE. Ahem. You'll have to read the book to see what I mean about that.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, I look forward to the next (Nemesis), and I also look forward to the day when I can read Nesbø's childrens books to either my kids or the nieces and nephews I shall hopefully have one day.

Winters Bone

My first book review! Ok so I normally review films so forgive me for styling etc, I'm sure I'll improve with time and be more book-y than film-y. My reviews will not be a thorough analysis, as personally I read reviews to see if I want to read the book and dislike being told the whole plot. So here goes.

A recent obsession with Jennifer Lawrence (who portrays Katniss in the Hunger Games) led me to this strange and kind of wonderful novel.
Lawrence was Oscar nominated for her portrayal of Ree Dolly, a sixteen year old girl living in the Ozarks, a mountainous region that covers four States including Alabama and Missouri.

Winter's Bone is set in the Missouri Ozarks where Ree is raising her two younger brothers, caring for her Mother (who is rarely lucid enough to help out) and planning her escape into the army when she turns seventeen. Her town, if you can call it that, is made up of her own family by and large. This is Moonshine territory, though it also churns out crystal meth, something which Ree's absentee Father was good at 'cooking'.

It is cold and hostile in these mountains, not just in climate and surroundings.
Ree's story involves her absent Father, his putting their house up as Bond collatoral and a date in court rapidly approaching. If he does not show up for his court date Ree and her family will be homeless and at the mercy of the environment and her so-called family.

So, after being informed of this by 'the law' Ree takes matters into her own hands, searching for her Father in a place where to ask questions is to ask to get your head kicked in.

This novel is a journey and an almost quest for Ree, whilst also being a stark portrayal of life in some parts of the Ozarks.
The language and the imagery are unforgiving for the reader. It takes a few pages to absorb the way the characters speak, you have to work at your imagination to create the voices in your mind so the speech makes sense (or at least I did).
What Ree goes through, shooting squirrels and skinning them and having the quite literal crap beaten out of her, is not designed to be pleasant for the reader. I found myself so absorbed in Ree's journey that I had my hand over my mouth at points, or needed to take a second before I continued reading.

The writing is superb. The author, Daniel Woodrell, lives in the Ozarks and so you can imagine he has witnessed some of what he writes about. I have never read a book quite so vivid before. The use of language is beautiful and emotive. He describes the characters carefully and allows you to become fully absorbed in the story.

The hunt for her Father forces Ree to grow up more than she had already, something that takes her by surprise I felt. It also surprises her how much she actually does need a grown up sometimes. Reading what this sixteen year old is going through makes the reader outraged for her, for her situation and the hostility of those around her.

The ending did not surprise me, however I was indignant for Ree. I will not spoil what happens but suffice to say I think everyone will have a different opinion on what should happen next.

This is not a long novel by any means however I would urge people to stop every few chapters or so to absorb the story.
I am very much looking forward to watching the film because if Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss was anything to go by, her Ree will be a breathtaking force of character, strength, and fragility.