Book Review
Midnight Sun, Jo Nesbo / Translation, Neil Smith
C Jo Nesbo 2015
Ebook
(Apologies for the tatty cover in the image, at had been on a few breezy beaches by the time I finished it!)
Blurb:
Jon is on the run. He has betrayed Oslos’s biggest crime lord: The Fisherman. Fleeing to an isolated corner of Norway, to a mountain town so far North that the sun never sets, Jon hopes to find sanctuary among a local religious sect…
Plot:
This is a fairly routine tale of ‘small’ bad guy robs ‘big’ bad guy, goes on the run and repents. Well sort of with an odd twist or two.
Setting:
It is set in the cold North where the sun doesn’t set, which is difficult to imagine just from text. Maybe a film would be more effective but as if I was missing some major part by not really understanding the stress apparently caused by the eternal daylight.
Characters:
I never really took to the main character, he isn’t a nice man (by his own admission)
There are few other characters and although described effectively it isn’t really clear if the main characters like each other. Apart from the main ‘romance’ the others are vague and as a result it’s difficult to decide if the reader is being led towards liking them or not.
Conclusion:
It was quick to read, so the prose is well written, and translated. However I do feel this tale probably is a lot more popular in Norway. If I hadn’t picked this up free from a book shelf on travels I’d feel a bit conned. Maybe I’m just biased as it was a huge ‘airport’ sized book with large print, too blooming big for my bag! I’ve mentioned this bug bear of mine before so regulars will be aware I really don’t get why they have to be so big!
I have to be honest and say if this was my first Jo Nesbo book I would probably avoid him in the future. This is me speaking as a huge Nordic drama and Larsson fan.
Recommended:
Yes, but maybe just for Nesbo fans.
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