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Hallandssviten #1
Under the Storm
A farmhouse mysteriously goes up in flames with someone trapped inside and a community is never the same in the aftermath—both a page-turning whodunit and a deeply touching coming-of-age story by one of Sweden’s top criminologists and “a rising star in Scandinavian crime fiction” ( Reviews)
On a cold November night in rural Sweden, a farmhouse burns to the ground. Inside, a young woman is found dead—murdered. To the people of Marbäck, the fire becomes a before and after. For ten-year-old Isak, it sets in motion something he cannot control, igniting his future into an inferno.
The police immediately focus their attention on Edvard, the boyfriend of the murdered woman and Isak’s beloved uncle. After a quick investigation, Edvard is found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, and Marbäck believes it can return to its innocence. Vidar, the rookie officer who first responded to the fire, prides himself on having helped solve the murder. Little does he know this will become the defining case of his career and that it will drive him to the brink of professional and personal disaster—and link his fate to young Isak’s.
A celebrated professor of criminology, Christoffer Carlsson digs deep into the psyches of ordinary people and shows how one crime can haunt a community for decades. A #1 international bestseller, Under the Storm is already a modern classic of Scandinavian crime fiction and shows why many regard Carlsson as one of the great crime writers of his generation.
On a cold November night in rural Sweden, a farmhouse burns to the ground. Inside, a young woman is found dead—murdered. To the people of Marbäck, the fire becomes a before and after. For ten-year-old Isak, it sets in motion something he cannot control, igniting his future into an inferno.
The police immediately focus their attention on Edvard, the boyfriend of the murdered woman and Isak’s beloved uncle. After a quick investigation, Edvard is found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, and Marbäck believes it can return to its innocence. Vidar, the rookie officer who first responded to the fire, prides himself on having helped solve the murder. Little does he know this will become the defining case of his career and that it will drive him to the brink of professional and personal disaster—and link his fate to young Isak’s.
A celebrated professor of criminology, Christoffer Carlsson digs deep into the psyches of ordinary people and shows how one crime can haunt a community for decades. A #1 international bestseller, Under the Storm is already a modern classic of Scandinavian crime fiction and shows why many regard Carlsson as one of the great crime writers of his generation.
416 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2019
About the author
Christoffer Carlsson
17 books368 followersI was born, I started writing stories, I haven't died yet
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March 21, 2024
4.25⭐
Under the Storm by Christoffer Carlsson (translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles is an exceptionally well-written, immersive novel that I could not put down.
“There’s this word, used by old men and women around here. It comes across their lips like sinister smoke when someone is a little mean or nasty, when a place or thing has this unpleasant, uncanny feel to it: kymig.”
The novel begins in Marbäck, Halland, Sweden with the discovery of the body of a young woman after a house fire in November 1994. The ensuing investigation implicates her boyfriend twenty- five-year-old Edvard Christensson whose troubled background and family history make it easy for the community and law enforcement to vilify him. Edvard was subsequently convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in May 1995. The narrative follows Officer Vidar Jörgensson who was part of the investigation and Isak Nyqvist Edvard’s nephew, seven years old at the time, both of whom are haunted by the case for their own reasons.
The narrative is shared from the perspectives of Vidar and Isak and structured in three parts spanning over two decades. This is a slow-paced, lengthy, character-driven novel with a murder mystery at its core. The vividly described setting, the small-town dynamics and deep character studies are deftly woven into the procedural aspect of the story. Vidar spends the next few decades conflicted about the thoroughness of the investigation, unsure of whether he put an innocent man in prison. Isak’s life and worldview changed when his uncle, whom he loved and trusted, was imprisoned. He fears that he might go down the same road as that of his uncle and grandfather before him. Compelled to delve deeper into what truly happened all those years, both Vidar and Isak are unable to let go of the past and this impacts their present relationships. The author brilliantly captures both the psychological trauma Isak carries into his adulthood and the guilt and self-doubt experienced by Vidar. Despite the slow pace, at no point did I lose interest in the story. There were enough red herrings along the way to add an element of surprise to the finale, which I did feel was a tad overwhelming. However, the journey to end more than makes up for the same. Outstanding character development, intense emotional depth and powerful writing render this novel an absorbing read. However, if you prefer plot-driven, fast-paced thrillers, this book might not be the right choice.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series (the translated version of which was released before this one!).
Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Random House for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Under the Storm was published (in the US) on February 27, 2024.
Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph
Under the Storm by Christoffer Carlsson (translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles is an exceptionally well-written, immersive novel that I could not put down.
“There’s this word, used by old men and women around here. It comes across their lips like sinister smoke when someone is a little mean or nasty, when a place or thing has this unpleasant, uncanny feel to it: kymig.”
The novel begins in Marbäck, Halland, Sweden with the discovery of the body of a young woman after a house fire in November 1994. The ensuing investigation implicates her boyfriend twenty- five-year-old Edvard Christensson whose troubled background and family history make it easy for the community and law enforcement to vilify him. Edvard was subsequently convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in May 1995. The narrative follows Officer Vidar Jörgensson who was part of the investigation and Isak Nyqvist Edvard’s nephew, seven years old at the time, both of whom are haunted by the case for their own reasons.
The narrative is shared from the perspectives of Vidar and Isak and structured in three parts spanning over two decades. This is a slow-paced, lengthy, character-driven novel with a murder mystery at its core. The vividly described setting, the small-town dynamics and deep character studies are deftly woven into the procedural aspect of the story. Vidar spends the next few decades conflicted about the thoroughness of the investigation, unsure of whether he put an innocent man in prison. Isak’s life and worldview changed when his uncle, whom he loved and trusted, was imprisoned. He fears that he might go down the same road as that of his uncle and grandfather before him. Compelled to delve deeper into what truly happened all those years, both Vidar and Isak are unable to let go of the past and this impacts their present relationships. The author brilliantly captures both the psychological trauma Isak carries into his adulthood and the guilt and self-doubt experienced by Vidar. Despite the slow pace, at no point did I lose interest in the story. There were enough red herrings along the way to add an element of surprise to the finale, which I did feel was a tad overwhelming. However, the journey to end more than makes up for the same. Outstanding character development, intense emotional depth and powerful writing render this novel an absorbing read. However, if you prefer plot-driven, fast-paced thrillers, this book might not be the right choice.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series (the translated version of which was released before this one!).
Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Random House for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Under the Storm was published (in the US) on February 27, 2024.
Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph
July 4, 2024
History doesn’t allow itself to be rewritten that easily.--------------------------------------
One single night: A house burned down in Tolarp. There was someone inside, on the kitchen floor. One instant, a before and after: the stillness before the spark appeared, and the inferno that followed. One single event: That was all it took to redirect the path of a life. Like the filament of a root moving through time.Or, in this case, two lives.
How do you deal when the thing that obsesses you interferes with your life?
Isak Nyqvist is seven years old in 1994. Vidar Jörgensson is a young cop, four years in the police. We will follow them through the next twenty-one years. Both their lives are largely defined by the fire that takes place on a cold night in November. A young woman is found dead inside a torched house. It was not the fire that killed her.
Christoffer Carlsson - image from Frankurter Rundschau – credit Emelie Asplund
Isak loves his uncle Edvard, 25, who has spent a lot of loving time with him, but Edvard has a history of rage, much of it provoked, and a lot of it ascribed to him because his father was a violent person. He had been dating Lovisa Markstrom, was seen leaving the scene of the crime on the night of the fire, and is presumed to have been the one who killed her. There is circumstantial evidence supporting that belief. The town is certain of it, given his family history. The person who had seen him that night was Vidar. But Vidar has his doubts, or will.
Vidar has many local connections and uses those to help his investigation. Isak’s family is known by everyone, not in a good way. Gramps was known as a violent person. Isak’s uncle Edvard was also painted with that same brush, so it is easy to believe that he killed his girlfriend. Isak is only 7 when the murder take place but local biases, and bullies pile on Isak, assigning to him the snap-judgments that were affixed to his uncle
The story is told in three parts, the first being when the death occurred, 1994, the second in 2003 and the third in 2015. Even though Isak has doubts, he still cannot believe his loving, kind uncle could be responsible for a murder. Vidar becomes aware of some problems with the evidence, sees alternate explanations for the crime and becomes obsessed with it for the rest of his police career and beyond. It even threatens his marriage (Wait, didn’t she know this about him when they got together?) The trope of the investigator’s non-understanding significant other gets on my nerves.
Isak is impacted both internally, wondering if Edvard really was a killer, and wondering if genetics are destiny, and externally, as bullies constantly remind him that his uncle is serving time, and provoking him to violence. (Why are provoking bullies never held to account? Is the world really that dumb? Don’t answer that.)
The long expanse of the tale gives us insight into the main characters, how they feel and behave in the world, and what has gone into creating those feelings and behaviors. It is both heart-breaking and illuminating.
The parallelism of Isak and Vidar works well, showing how history ripples forward into the future for both of them, albeit in very different ways. Carlsson offers many specific ways in which their paths run in the same direction. Both their lives are crap, in a way. Both have boxes of clues to their mysteries. Vidar’s wife’s assumptions and lack of understanding re Vidar mirrors the community’s view of Erik. Vidar imagines himself as a child, akin to a dream of Isak’s
In Carlsson’s previous novel (at least as far as USA release dates go) Carlsson had used a similar structure, with Vidar’s father tracking a crime from 1986 to 2019, stopping off at several intermediate years to track the characters and advance our understanding of the very cold case.
This original Swedish language book was released in 2019, before Blaze Me a Sun (2021). Vidar Jörgensson features in this one. But in the later book, it is Vidar’s father who stars, with Vidar being introduced later in the tale. I do not know if Under the Storm was intended as a prequel, or maybe was written later but published earlier. I read the pair in the order in which they were published in the USA, #2, then #1. There is a third, which was released in Sweden in 2023, Levande och döda (The Living and the Dead). I do not know when an English translation will be available.
Family is a major concern, as it was in Blaze Me a Sun. How does the cop’s obsession (or deep commitment to truth) impact his friendships, his work life, his marriage? (“You seem so far away sometimes,” she said at last.) How does Isak’s affection for and connection with a much-loved uncle affect his ability to have a normal social life, to have a family life? How is the rest of Edvard’s family impacted by his travails?
As with Blaze Me a Sun, there is mention of a local superstition. That one had to do with fortune, good or bad, being caused by how one saw a particular bird. Here it is a place where a legendary rich man is buried, a place where ghostly apparitions are said to appear. Under a bridge in Anarp is where The Old Man sleeps, a boogie man who is death to anyone who meets his ghost. Non-superstition-based history is also addressed, as Carlsson tracks town history back to sundry events, like the introduction of manufacturing in the town, its loss and attempt to revive it.
A persistent motif throughout is secrecy, as one might expect in a procedural murder tale. Vidar and Isak, while not alone in this, are robust practitioners. Isak keeps two things to himself from the night of and a short time after. It is never particularly clear why he fails to tell what he knows in time to have an impact. Vidar does not tell his boss what he is working on in the latter parts of the novel. Schtupping a local married lady is also kept on the down-low. Talking separately to Edvard and Isak while not informing either of them of his contact is another. Vidar keeping secret a challenging work-based relationship also requires deceit.
The noir atmosphere gets jiggy when a major hurricane, Gudrun, blows through. Homes are destroyed, people displaced. This was a real storm that caused major damage in Sweden. Details of the experience of such a beast are chilling. Maybe not the same as the assassination of the Prime Minister in the psyche of the nation, but it had a real impact. A heat wave also adds to the tension.
Carlsson succeeds in presenting both detailed character portraits and in giving us a sense of what life was like in this area, a place in which he grew up. He is a PhD criminologist for his day job, publishing papers and teaching. He grew up around things criminal, as mom was a police dispatcher. It is clear that a lot of the conversation on which he eavesdropped at home as a kid made an impact. He knows crime, both real and fictitious, and writes with authority about it.
This is a procedural, however lengthy the duration of the investigation. You will enjoy Vidar picking up on clues and following through, as he spends a lifetime attempting to find out the truth about that night. In the beginning it is a hot, fiery case that becomes a cold-case in the following parts of the novel. (In Sweden are all cases cold cases?) But not to Vidar. He is a flawed guy, but is determined to find out what really happened that night. Under the Storm is a triumph of the genre, tickling your brain with the mystery, engaging you emotionally with the characters, and offering up informed looks at a place and time, well, times. As a smart, accomplished example of Swedish noir, Under the Storm is out of this world.
The world had shown what it was truly capable of. As if a lifeline was suddenly severed, it could take your loved ones away. The world watched without blinking as you fell.Review posted - 06/28/24
In Sweden - 3/1/2019
English Translation - 2/27/24
I received an ARE of Under the Storm from Hogarth in return for a fair review. Thanks, folks, and thanks to NetGalley for facilitating.
This review will soon be, cross-posted on my site, Coot’s Reviews. Stop by and say Hi!
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the Carlsson’s Instagram and Twitter pages
Profile - from Penguin Random House
Christoffer Carlsson was born in 1986 on the west coast of Sweden. He holds a PhD in criminology from the University of Stockholm and is one of Sweden’s leading crime experts. Carlsson is the youngest winner of the Best Swedish Crime Novel of the Year, voted by the Swedish Crime Writers’ Academy, and has been a finalist for the prestigious Glass Key award, given to the best Scandinavian crime novel of the year.Interview
-----The Occasional Bookwitch Christoffer Carlsson – neither pink nor fluffy -
It’s close to where he grew up, where he and his brother used to play. And then, halfway through writing the book, his parents sold up and moved away from his childhood home, moving into a flat in town, enjoying their new life on the 13th floor with marvelous views. ‘The novel became some sort of farewell. It was pretty hard. It’s as if part of my past has moved out of reach.’My review of another book in this series
-----Blaze Me a Sun
Item of Interest from the author
-----With the Dead - this is a must-read item, as Carlsson details how he became a writer. You will see how his books incorporate elements of his life.
Item of Interest
-----Cyclone Gudrun
January 10, 2024
Under the Storm is the second book by Christoffer Carlsson I’ve read. Again, this is a slow burn, moody mystery. It’s also convoluted and at times, I struggled with it.
A farmhouse burns in the middle of the night and the body of a young woman is discovered inside. The investigation quickly focuses on Edvard, the young woman’s boyfriend. He is found guilty and sentenced to prison. The story is told from the perspective of Isak, Edward’s nephew and Vidar, the young policeman who helps investigate the case.
The book follows them through time. First ten years later, then another 12. Isak worries that he carries some sort of evil gene that will also cause him to commit crimes. Vidar just can’t let the case go, wondering if they got it wrong. Both of them struggle with personal relationships and find it impossible to move on. I felt the character development of each man was well done.
The book moves at too slow a pace, sometimes almost a slog. A better editing job would have helped immensely. I will give credit to Carlsson, as I had no clue how this was going to play out. Still, as I haven’t particularly enjoyed either book I’ve read by him, I doubt I’ll try a third.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.
A farmhouse burns in the middle of the night and the body of a young woman is discovered inside. The investigation quickly focuses on Edvard, the young woman’s boyfriend. He is found guilty and sentenced to prison. The story is told from the perspective of Isak, Edward’s nephew and Vidar, the young policeman who helps investigate the case.
The book follows them through time. First ten years later, then another 12. Isak worries that he carries some sort of evil gene that will also cause him to commit crimes. Vidar just can’t let the case go, wondering if they got it wrong. Both of them struggle with personal relationships and find it impossible to move on. I felt the character development of each man was well done.
The book moves at too slow a pace, sometimes almost a slog. A better editing job would have helped immensely. I will give credit to Carlsson, as I had no clue how this was going to play out. Still, as I haven’t particularly enjoyed either book I’ve read by him, I doubt I’ll try a third.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.
August 23, 2023
A great hole has opened in his life, silent and black and empty. If something like this can happen, then the world must be able to do almost anything to you. Maybe that is how it is. You think that everything makes sense, that’s what you’re taught—but it doesn’t.
…
We can handle more than we think, but not without limits.
…
His life was marked by the token. What could he do?
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for sending me an ARC of Under the Storm in exchange for an honest review.
In November of 1994, a farmhouse in Marbäck, Sweden burns to the ground. A woman, Lovisa, is found inside the ruins, but she had been killed before the fire started. Her boyfriend, Edvard, is soon arrested and convicted of the crime—in part because of evidence found by a young officer named Vidar, and in part because Edvard had always been a violent man just like his father. All of which is deeply upsetting to the one person who loved Edvard unconditionally, his ten-year-old nephew Isak. But over the next 23 years, Vidar questions whether Edvard really killed Lovisa, and Isak struggles against the feeling that he’s inherited something awful and violent from his mother’s father and brother.
Under the Storm is divided into thirds. The first covers the time of the original crime and investigation. The second is ten years later, in the moths leading up to when Hurricane Gudrun hit Sweden. And the final third is still thirteen years later, when we finally get the resolution to who killed Lovisa, and what happened to Vidar and Isak. Vidar’s story is largely a police procedural, but I’m not sure it’s very realistic that an officer would question himself a decade after his biggest arrest. And I know it’s not realistic that the same person would finally solve the mystery more than twenty years after the crime and after being off the force for a decade. As for Isak, he believes he’s going to be a bad, violent person because everyone expects him to be one because of his family, and then he lives down to everyone’s expectations and becomes a violent person. He needed therapy and to get the hell out of this town, and instead he became a shell of what he could have been. Isak’s story was mostly sad, all the more so because I’m sure it is realistic.
I didn’t hate Under the Storm, but I was underwhelmed. ‘Crime haunts the survivors’ isn’t exactly the freshest take. And I thought the book ended too abruptly. I wanted to see how people treated Vidar and Isak after the final revelations, and in particular how Isak viewed himself. Not a bad book, but it didn’t really work for me. 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.
February 20, 2023
This is a 5-star read for me. So well written, almost poetic, even though it deals with tragedies and traumas and their aftermath. Best of all is that it makes Sweden stand vividly in my imagination.
And it is translated into English (or will be, I guess as his last novel was).
And it is translated into English (or will be, I guess as his last novel was).
February 29, 2024
When a young woman is found dead inside a burned farmhouse, officer Vidar Jörgensson witnesses the aftermath and helps to put the suspect, Edvard Christensson, behind bars.
Edvard’s ten year old nephew, Isak, is in disbelief that his uncle could be capable of such a thing. No one was closer to Isak than his beloved uncle and with him in prison, Isak is left to cope alone. The murder has left a stain on the family and they are ostracized by the small community.
The story follows Isak’s as he navigates his path to adulthood. At the same time Vidar, whose life has also been changed by the murder, keeps a watchful eye on Isak.
I enjoyed this book. The personalities of the characters were described well. I liked learning how the police investigation went from Vidar’s point of view. Especially how much he had to go through to make sure he sent the right person to prison.
I was shocked at all that happened. I can’t say because of spoilers but the story is thrilling! Lots of suspense and hair raising moments.
This is not an over the top, unbelievable, crime thriller. This is an intense police investigation. I would say it’s closer to Ann Cleeves that a Riley Sager.
The author, Christopher Carlsson, is a professor of criminology as well as a highly admired Scandinavian crime writer. I look forward to reading all his books!
TW: sex, murder, violence, death.
Many thanks to Christopher Carlsson and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC via NetGalley!!
Edvard’s ten year old nephew, Isak, is in disbelief that his uncle could be capable of such a thing. No one was closer to Isak than his beloved uncle and with him in prison, Isak is left to cope alone. The murder has left a stain on the family and they are ostracized by the small community.
The story follows Isak’s as he navigates his path to adulthood. At the same time Vidar, whose life has also been changed by the murder, keeps a watchful eye on Isak.
I enjoyed this book. The personalities of the characters were described well. I liked learning how the police investigation went from Vidar’s point of view. Especially how much he had to go through to make sure he sent the right person to prison.
I was shocked at all that happened. I can’t say because of spoilers but the story is thrilling! Lots of suspense and hair raising moments.
This is not an over the top, unbelievable, crime thriller. This is an intense police investigation. I would say it’s closer to Ann Cleeves that a Riley Sager.
The author, Christopher Carlsson, is a professor of criminology as well as a highly admired Scandinavian crime writer. I look forward to reading all his books!
TW: sex, murder, violence, death.
Many thanks to Christopher Carlsson and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC via NetGalley!!
August 1, 2021
Dieser Spannungsroman ist clever konzipiert, hat einen unheimlich sympathischen Protagonisten, fühlt sich gleichzeitig melancholisch und spannend echt an. Alle Charaktere wirken wie aus Fleisch und Blut, haben Fehler und sind nicht perfekt. Mehrere versteckte Puzzleteile ergeben am Ende ein ganzes Bild. Die Auflösung war mir zu wenig miträtselbar, sondern musste tatsächlich erzählt werden um sie zu verstehen, das hat den Stern Abzug bedeutet. Insgesamt aber ein wunderbar skandinavischer Krimi mit viel Atmosphäre und fantastisch gelungenem Cover!
April 11, 2021
I've heard many good things of Christoffer Carlsson books and writing and was intruiged to read something by him and decided to start with this one. In 1994 there is an house fire and with that they found a murders woman and the mystery starts. But the story is also about Isak a boy who fears he one day will do something horrible. The book is eery and is written with such talents that really draws you in. Even when the story goes a little slow, I never found my self bored on unfocused. Very ingaging and I'm very eager to pick another book up my this author.
January 29, 2021
Porywająca opowieść o zbrodni, o tajemnicy i skazie, która osadza się w człowieku.
"Czasem w człowieku otwiera się czarna dziura i wszystko może z niej wyjść."
Wystarczył jeden moment, ta jedna straszna chwila, by dzieciństwo małego chłopca brutalnie dobiegło końca. By w niewinnym dziecku rozkwitła ciemność, rozgościł się mrok i dusząca szarość wiecznego niepokoju. Christoffer Carlsson stawia niewygodne pytania o dziedzictwo zbrodni, o wewnętrzne skazy, które nakierowują człowieka na ścieżkę przestępstwa i zwykłego zła. Ale czy wujek Isaka naprawdę był zły? I czy to znaczy, że Isak również taki będzie?
W "Przepowiedni" czytelnik obserwuje z bliska, jak chłopiec przekształca się w młodzieńca, a potem w mężczyznę. Jak nieświadomie i świadomie kroczy ścieżką innych męskich członków swojej rodziny, jak powiela ich błędy i dryfuje na granicach moralności. Christoffer Carlsson rysuje zagubienie, niezrozumienie, wewnętrzny strach, który rośnie w człowieku, który wierzy, że został niejako skazany na zło. Naznaczony i tym samym skreślony, oscylujący już zawsze na granicy społeczeństwa. W tle natomiast buzuje mała społeczność i toczy się śledztwo, a w historię Lovisy, Edvarda i Isaka zostają wplecione losy innych osób, w tym policjanta, który prowadził tamtą sprawę. On i Isak są połączeni na zawsze tamtą jedną chwilą, tamtym ogniem i tym, co po nim zostało. Rodzą się domysły, niedopowiedzenia, a mijające lata spowite są bezsennością i niepewnością, bo przecież – być może – niewinny człowiek marnuje swoje życie w więzieniu.
"Przepowiednia" to opowieść melancholijna, do bólu skandynawska, w której motyw kryminalny to jedynie pretekst do opowieści o genezie zła. Czy dziedziczymy je w genach? A może to wychodzenie i społeczność tworzą z nas morderców? Jak można żyć ze świadomością własnej przemiany? Czy można tak żyć?
Czyta się z zapartym tchem, a czytelnik do samego końca pragnie trwać przy bohaterach. Bez względu na to, jak ten koniec będzie wyglądał.
"Czasem w człowieku otwiera się czarna dziura i wszystko może z niej wyjść."
Wystarczył jeden moment, ta jedna straszna chwila, by dzieciństwo małego chłopca brutalnie dobiegło końca. By w niewinnym dziecku rozkwitła ciemność, rozgościł się mrok i dusząca szarość wiecznego niepokoju. Christoffer Carlsson stawia niewygodne pytania o dziedzictwo zbrodni, o wewnętrzne skazy, które nakierowują człowieka na ścieżkę przestępstwa i zwykłego zła. Ale czy wujek Isaka naprawdę był zły? I czy to znaczy, że Isak również taki będzie?
W "Przepowiedni" czytelnik obserwuje z bliska, jak chłopiec przekształca się w młodzieńca, a potem w mężczyznę. Jak nieświadomie i świadomie kroczy ścieżką innych męskich członków swojej rodziny, jak powiela ich błędy i dryfuje na granicach moralności. Christoffer Carlsson rysuje zagubienie, niezrozumienie, wewnętrzny strach, który rośnie w człowieku, który wierzy, że został niejako skazany na zło. Naznaczony i tym samym skreślony, oscylujący już zawsze na granicy społeczeństwa. W tle natomiast buzuje mała społeczność i toczy się śledztwo, a w historię Lovisy, Edvarda i Isaka zostają wplecione losy innych osób, w tym policjanta, który prowadził tamtą sprawę. On i Isak są połączeni na zawsze tamtą jedną chwilą, tamtym ogniem i tym, co po nim zostało. Rodzą się domysły, niedopowiedzenia, a mijające lata spowite są bezsennością i niepewnością, bo przecież – być może – niewinny człowiek marnuje swoje życie w więzieniu.
"Przepowiednia" to opowieść melancholijna, do bólu skandynawska, w której motyw kryminalny to jedynie pretekst do opowieści o genezie zła. Czy dziedziczymy je w genach? A może to wychodzenie i społeczność tworzą z nas morderców? Jak można żyć ze świadomością własnej przemiany? Czy można tak żyć?
Czyta się z zapartym tchem, a czytelnik do samego końca pragnie trwać przy bohaterach. Bez względu na to, jak ten koniec będzie wyglądał.
April 21, 2019
En av de bästa kriminalromaner jag läst. Är mycket svag för berättelser som utspelar sig på den svenska landsbygden.
Want to read
July 31, 2023ARC received! Thank you, Hogarth!!
Under the Storm will be releasing in the United States in February 2024. I really enjoyed Blaze Me a Sun and am very excited to read more from this Nordic Thriller author!
Under the Storm will be releasing in the United States in February 2024. I really enjoyed Blaze Me a Sun and am very excited to read more from this Nordic Thriller author!
March 23, 2019
Järtecken av Christoffer Carlsson är en fantastisk roman. Läs den! Så enkel och kort hade den här recensionen kunnat vara, för det säger det mesta ni behöver veta. Men varför tycker jag då så? Mer kommer…
Järtecken är både en eftertänksam och en spännande historia. Den är ingen renodlad spänningsroman även om komponenterna finns där. Det är en berättelse om arv och miljö, om vad som är förutbestämt, eller är något överhuvudtaget förutbestämt?
Jag är imponerad av såväl Christoffer Carlssons språk som hans förmåga att bygga en historia som berör. Hans språk är välavvägt, det finns inget överflöd, varje ord finns där av ett skäl. Han förmår att använda språket för att få fram allt som behövs för att trollbinda mig som läsare, utan att någonsin skriva mig på näsan. Mysteriet om vad som hände är bra uppbyggt, och jag kan inte gissa slutet. Samtidigt så är det mer berättelsen och berättandet än själva mysteriet som gör att jag inte kan släppa boken. Jag sträckläste Järtecken på två dagar, kunde inte lägga den i från mig. Det är årets starkaste läsning hittills.
Berättelsen utspelar sig i en liten ort i Halland, Marbäck. Det är Christoffer Carlssons hembygd med orten han växte upp i och han tecknar den med värme och skarpsynthet. Jag älskar såväl miljön som karaktärerna som befolkar den. För många år sedan besökte jag i några omgångar Halland, och även Simlångsdalen som nämns i boken. Samtidigt behövs ingen kunskap om bygden för att uppskatta hur miljöerna är en integrerad del av berättelsen. Det är svensk landsbygd på gott och ont, och det hade kunnat vara var som helst. Det är väldigt svenskt. På ett bra sätt. Utöver hur Christoffer Carlsson använder miljöerna för att bygga berättelsen, så använder han naturfenomen för att hänga upp händelserna. Det är exempelvis stormen Gudrun, tsunamin och den varma sommaren 2017. De här händelserna är både tidsmarkörer och ett sätt att driva karaktärerna framåt. Snyggt och starkt gjort.
Karaktärsteckningen är (som vanligt) mycket bra gjord. Man får en stark känsla för karaktärerna, och tidshoppen gör utvecklingen realistisk. Jag tycker mycket om Isak, Vidar och de andra som befolkar berättelsen. Alla är verkliga människor med styrkor och brister och jag saknar dem efter avslutad läsning. Deras berättelser berör och väcker både sorg och glädje i mig.
Man kan bara konstatera att Christoffer Carlsson har gjort det igen. Så givetvis så hoppas jag att han kommer med fler böcker. Jag ser redan fram mot nästa!
Omdöme: Fantastiskt stark läsning om ödet och slumpen.
Betyg: 5
https://lottensbokblogg.wordpress.com...
Järtecken är både en eftertänksam och en spännande historia. Den är ingen renodlad spänningsroman även om komponenterna finns där. Det är en berättelse om arv och miljö, om vad som är förutbestämt, eller är något överhuvudtaget förutbestämt?
Jag är imponerad av såväl Christoffer Carlssons språk som hans förmåga att bygga en historia som berör. Hans språk är välavvägt, det finns inget överflöd, varje ord finns där av ett skäl. Han förmår att använda språket för att få fram allt som behövs för att trollbinda mig som läsare, utan att någonsin skriva mig på näsan. Mysteriet om vad som hände är bra uppbyggt, och jag kan inte gissa slutet. Samtidigt så är det mer berättelsen och berättandet än själva mysteriet som gör att jag inte kan släppa boken. Jag sträckläste Järtecken på två dagar, kunde inte lägga den i från mig. Det är årets starkaste läsning hittills.
Berättelsen utspelar sig i en liten ort i Halland, Marbäck. Det är Christoffer Carlssons hembygd med orten han växte upp i och han tecknar den med värme och skarpsynthet. Jag älskar såväl miljön som karaktärerna som befolkar den. För många år sedan besökte jag i några omgångar Halland, och även Simlångsdalen som nämns i boken. Samtidigt behövs ingen kunskap om bygden för att uppskatta hur miljöerna är en integrerad del av berättelsen. Det är svensk landsbygd på gott och ont, och det hade kunnat vara var som helst. Det är väldigt svenskt. På ett bra sätt. Utöver hur Christoffer Carlsson använder miljöerna för att bygga berättelsen, så använder han naturfenomen för att hänga upp händelserna. Det är exempelvis stormen Gudrun, tsunamin och den varma sommaren 2017. De här händelserna är både tidsmarkörer och ett sätt att driva karaktärerna framåt. Snyggt och starkt gjort.
Karaktärsteckningen är (som vanligt) mycket bra gjord. Man får en stark känsla för karaktärerna, och tidshoppen gör utvecklingen realistisk. Jag tycker mycket om Isak, Vidar och de andra som befolkar berättelsen. Alla är verkliga människor med styrkor och brister och jag saknar dem efter avslutad läsning. Deras berättelser berör och väcker både sorg och glädje i mig.
Man kan bara konstatera att Christoffer Carlsson har gjort det igen. Så givetvis så hoppas jag att han kommer med fler böcker. Jag ser redan fram mot nästa!
Omdöme: Fantastiskt stark läsning om ödet och slumpen.
Betyg: 5
https://lottensbokblogg.wordpress.com...
January 6, 2024
In rural Sweden, a young woman is found dead in a house that has been set on fire to cover the crime. Her boyfriend is charged with and convicted of the crime. As his beloved nephew, Isak, grows up, he fears that he may take after his uncle. The disposition of the case nags at Vidar, one of the investigating officers. Did they charge the right perpetrator? There are some indications that someone else might have committed the crime. His tortured obsession with it over more than a decade leads to some consequential decisions in his life.
Carlsson writes Nordic noir at its best. This is the second of his books that I have read. The first one, Blaze Me a Sun, which I loved, featured Vidar’s father. There is a sense of foreboding throughout the book and Carlsson captures well the vicissitudes, allure and danger of the Swedish climate.
If you are a fan of Nordic noir or would like an introduction to it, I recommend this read. If you are new to this genre, do not expect a fast paced, action packed novel, but rather a slow unfolding of the plot along with developing, well crafted characterizations.
Thanks to #netgalley and #randomhouse #hogarthbooks for the ARC.
Carlsson writes Nordic noir at its best. This is the second of his books that I have read. The first one, Blaze Me a Sun, which I loved, featured Vidar’s father. There is a sense of foreboding throughout the book and Carlsson captures well the vicissitudes, allure and danger of the Swedish climate.
If you are a fan of Nordic noir or would like an introduction to it, I recommend this read. If you are new to this genre, do not expect a fast paced, action packed novel, but rather a slow unfolding of the plot along with developing, well crafted characterizations.
Thanks to #netgalley and #randomhouse #hogarthbooks for the ARC.
March 12, 2024
Set in a mostly rural area - Marback, Halland, Sweden - from 1994-2017, the story of Vidar Jorgensson, a police officer, and Izak Nyqvist, a young boy, and how their lives are impacted by the murder of a young woman, neighbor to them both. This is a mystery, and a crime story, but it's also about these two. Their lives. Their constant questioning about what really happened to the woman whose body was left in her burning parents' home.
The book moves through time, following both characters and the way the crime's affected them. For Vidar, if anything was 'missed' in the criminal investigation. For Isak, fears that he will be like - or is like! - the man who was arrested, charged and convicted of the woman's death. There's always this constant doubt which affects almost everything they do as the years go on. This is a deeply psychological work and perfect for those like to dissect/inspect what they read.
(It's also very realistic in that I personally knew a family who lived like this after a member of their family did something really heinous. Enough said.)
I read this book over a few days, always stopping now and then to set the book aside - and think about it. I don't do that for many books...
A solid five stars.
The book moves through time, following both characters and the way the crime's affected them. For Vidar, if anything was 'missed' in the criminal investigation. For Isak, fears that he will be like - or is like! - the man who was arrested, charged and convicted of the woman's death. There's always this constant doubt which affects almost everything they do as the years go on. This is a deeply psychological work and perfect for those like to dissect/inspect what they read.
(It's also very realistic in that I personally knew a family who lived like this after a member of their family did something really heinous. Enough said.)
I read this book over a few days, always stopping now and then to set the book aside - and think about it. I don't do that for many books...
A solid five stars.
July 10, 2021
Als IsakNyquist 7 Jahre alt ist, brennt in seinem Heimatort der Hof der Markstöms ab. In den Brandresten wird die Leiche der Tochter Lovisa gefunden, die jedoch schon vor dem Feuer tot gewesen sein muss. Isaks Eltern versuchen die Geschehnisse mit einigem Aufwand von ihm fernzuhalten, doch ihre Tonlage verrät dem Jungen, dass etwas Schlimmes geschehen sein muss. Lovisa war mit Isaks Onkel Edvard zusammen; der schnell der Tat verdächtigt wird. Edvard stammt aus einer Familie, in der häusliche Gewalt an der Tagesordnung war und – obwohl nicht zu übersehen - im Ort ignoriert wurde. Schon Edvards Vater wurde als „aufbrausend“ beschrieben und Edvard selbst schien gewalttätige Auseinandersetzungen seit seiner Jugend anzuziehen. Isak hat große Angst davor, dass diese Gewalttätigkeit sein Familienerbe sein könnte.
Edvard ist Isaks Hauptbezugsperson, beide verbindet eine innige Beziehung. Dass viele junge Männer in Lovisa verliebt waren und um ihre Person sich Groll und Hass konzentrierten, wird von den Einwohnern verdrängt. Wenn sogar die Presse ungestraft reine Mutmaßungen verbreiten darf … Obwohl Edvard seine Unschuld beteuert, wird er zu einer Gefängnisstrafe unbestimmter Dauer verurteilt. Als er unter ungeklärten Umständen stirbt, scheinen einige Beteiligte aufzuatmen; nur zu gern hätten sie seinen Tod als Freitod und damit als Schuldeingeständnis gesehen. Doch der ganze Ort ist nach wie vor von den Ereignissen tief gezeichnet; denn was genau mit Lovisa geschah, bleibt ungeklärt.
Ermittler ist 1994 u. a. der Polizei-Assistent Vidar, der selbst in Marbäck lebt. Auf drei Zeitebenen erleben wir als Leser zunächst den jungen Vidar als Ermittler, 10 Jahre später hat ihm der Fall noch immer keine Ruhe gelassen und ein weiteres Jahrzehnt später fahndet Vidal noch einmal ruhelos danach, ob bei der ersten Ermittlung etwas übersehen wurde.
Christoffer Carlssons hochgelobter Roman kommt erst allmählich in Gang und hat mich anfangs auf eine falsche Fährte geführt. Die Geschichte schien eine weite Strecke eher eine sozialkritische psychologische Studie ohne Spannungskurve zu sein. Über 25 Jahre hindurch war zu verfolgen, wie eine Gesellschaft in geradezu kindlicher Naivität ihre Gewalttäter selbst heranzieht, indem sie Gewalt verharmlost und die Augen vor dem Offensichtlichen verschließt. Hochinteressant fand ich dabei Vidars Entwicklung vom Berufsanfänger zum erfahrenen Ermittler, der einen Fall aufklären und nicht nur einen Verdächtigen bestraft sehen will.
Als der Fall endlich doch noch geklärt werden kann, stellte sich mir die Frage, was einen guten Polizisten ausmacht und wie moderne Gesellschaften ein Pflichtbewusstsein wie Vidars eigentlich honorieren … Damit hat der Autor, der selbst aus der beschriebenen Gegend stammt und als Professor für Kriminologie arbeitet, sein Ziel geschickt erreicht.
Edvard ist Isaks Hauptbezugsperson, beide verbindet eine innige Beziehung. Dass viele junge Männer in Lovisa verliebt waren und um ihre Person sich Groll und Hass konzentrierten, wird von den Einwohnern verdrängt. Wenn sogar die Presse ungestraft reine Mutmaßungen verbreiten darf … Obwohl Edvard seine Unschuld beteuert, wird er zu einer Gefängnisstrafe unbestimmter Dauer verurteilt. Als er unter ungeklärten Umständen stirbt, scheinen einige Beteiligte aufzuatmen; nur zu gern hätten sie seinen Tod als Freitod und damit als Schuldeingeständnis gesehen. Doch der ganze Ort ist nach wie vor von den Ereignissen tief gezeichnet; denn was genau mit Lovisa geschah, bleibt ungeklärt.
Ermittler ist 1994 u. a. der Polizei-Assistent Vidar, der selbst in Marbäck lebt. Auf drei Zeitebenen erleben wir als Leser zunächst den jungen Vidar als Ermittler, 10 Jahre später hat ihm der Fall noch immer keine Ruhe gelassen und ein weiteres Jahrzehnt später fahndet Vidal noch einmal ruhelos danach, ob bei der ersten Ermittlung etwas übersehen wurde.
Christoffer Carlssons hochgelobter Roman kommt erst allmählich in Gang und hat mich anfangs auf eine falsche Fährte geführt. Die Geschichte schien eine weite Strecke eher eine sozialkritische psychologische Studie ohne Spannungskurve zu sein. Über 25 Jahre hindurch war zu verfolgen, wie eine Gesellschaft in geradezu kindlicher Naivität ihre Gewalttäter selbst heranzieht, indem sie Gewalt verharmlost und die Augen vor dem Offensichtlichen verschließt. Hochinteressant fand ich dabei Vidars Entwicklung vom Berufsanfänger zum erfahrenen Ermittler, der einen Fall aufklären und nicht nur einen Verdächtigen bestraft sehen will.
Als der Fall endlich doch noch geklärt werden kann, stellte sich mir die Frage, was einen guten Polizisten ausmacht und wie moderne Gesellschaften ein Pflichtbewusstsein wie Vidars eigentlich honorieren … Damit hat der Autor, der selbst aus der beschriebenen Gegend stammt und als Professor für Kriminologie arbeitet, sein Ziel geschickt erreicht.
March 7, 2024
The cringey unnecessary sex scenes are at their absolute worst. I'm reading a murder mystery, why on earth should I know how huge the police inspector's penis is?
February 22, 2024
"There's this word, used by old men and women ... It comes across their lips like sinister smoke when someone is a little mean or nasty ... kymig." Although Christoffer Carlsson wrote this before Blaze Me a Sun, it was released in English afterwards. Carlsson describes himself as a storyteller, but he is much more than that. Not only is he an accomplished author, but a teacher and criminal expert as well. Very accomplished for someone so relatively young. A centerpiece of the novel contains a description of a devastating storm that leveled parts of Sweden and caused entire forests to be decimated. It is such detail as this that lifts his writing above many others.
Here we once again have an in depth portrait of Swedish smalltown life, and the effects on a community and one family in particular following a horrific crime, a pivotal point in life that "creates a before and an after." There are really two protagonists that we follow over an almost 20-year timeframe, each of whose life has been upended. Vidar the young policeman and Isak, eight-years-old at the beginning, are connected through this death of a lovely young woman, and the bullying and eventual realizations bring both of their lives into focus. They come to accept that "[N]ot all truths are good, and not all lies are bad."
Looking forward to the promised third translation.
Here we once again have an in depth portrait of Swedish smalltown life, and the effects on a community and one family in particular following a horrific crime, a pivotal point in life that "creates a before and an after." There are really two protagonists that we follow over an almost 20-year timeframe, each of whose life has been upended. Vidar the young policeman and Isak, eight-years-old at the beginning, are connected through this death of a lovely young woman, and the bullying and eventual realizations bring both of their lives into focus. They come to accept that "[N]ot all truths are good, and not all lies are bad."
Looking forward to the promised third translation.
July 25, 2023
A young woman is found murdered in a farmhouse that has burned down. To the people of the community the fire becomes a reference as a before and after. The most likely suspect is the boyfriend of the murdered woman. After a quick investigation he’s found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. The rookie cop that responded to the fire and helped put the boyfriend behind bars prides himself on solving the murder. But little does he know, it’s a defining act in his career and personal life.
slow burns are normally my thing but this one, not so much. I was expecting it to be fast paced but that’s not how I experienced the book. As what really happened started to be unveiled the outcome for everyone was quite sad. Maybe I wasn’t in the right mind set for this one but it felt a little too long for my liking. Although it was a miss for me, it might be a hit for you.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC, and giving me the chance to read and review it honestly.
slow burns are normally my thing but this one, not so much. I was expecting it to be fast paced but that’s not how I experienced the book. As what really happened started to be unveiled the outcome for everyone was quite sad. Maybe I wasn’t in the right mind set for this one but it felt a little too long for my liking. Although it was a miss for me, it might be a hit for you.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC, and giving me the chance to read and review it honestly.
February 27, 2024
The murder of a young woman in rural Sweden affects the lives of many in her town for years to come.
On a November night in 1994 in the village of Marbäck, Ulrika Antonsson calls the authorities to report that a neighboring farmhouse is on fire. The fire department, police department and ambulance services arrive but it is too late….the old wooden house is fully engulfed. As the police talk to neighbors at the scene they find that the couple who owns the farm. The Markströms, are out at a party but that their adult daughter Lovisa was seen returning home earlier that night. Once the building is safe to enter Lovisa’s body is found, and it is determined that she died due to blunt force trauma. In short, it is murder. Suspicion immediately falls upon Edvard Christensson; not only was he Lovisa’s boyfriend, he was found that night in the woods near the farm smelling of smoke and with blood on him. He is known to have a temper and to have not always treated Lovisa well, and as his father before him was abusive to his wife, it surprises no one that Edvard might have killed Lovisa. He denies doing it, once he is coherent and able to talk of what happened that night, but his claims of seeing an unknown car are not backed up by any other witnesses. In a small town, everyone notices strangers and everyone knows one another’s business; surely someone would have seen someone else near the scene of the fire. The Chief Inspector is convinced that they have sufficient evidence to convict Edvard of killing Lovisa, and the town agrees with his decision to arrest him. Left behind are Lovisa’s grieving parents, the local rookie police officer who both discovered Edvard in the woods and one of his gloves in an adjacent field, and Edvard’s family, his sister Eva and her husband and their young son Isak who adores his uncle. The effects on the lives of these and others in the community first during the investigation and prosecution of the crime, again nine years later when a cataclysmic hurricane decimates the Marbäck area and Edvard dies, and finally twelve years after the fire, when the full truth finally comes out are told with compassion and an adept portrayal of human nature.
Under the Storm is one of those novels that is both a fantastic police procedural mystery and a brilliantly crafted novel, using the nuance of language, local folklore and an empathetic grasp on how people think, feel and relate. This is not a fast paced, chase-scene infused, cynical sort of mystery, so don’t pick up a copy if that’s what you’re after. I was immediately drawn to the characters, the town, and the tragedies of the different lives in Marbäck. We have Vidar Jörgensson, a young police officer who is from the area and knows all of the victims and suspects, who became a police officer mostly because that was what his father did, and who is not certain that justice has been done; young Isak Nyqvist, whose love and admiration for the uncle is shattered when Edvard is arrested and convicted for his girlfriend’s murder, and the taint of the crime is extended to Isak and his parents; and the many friends, co-workers and others who feel the ripple effect of a terrible crime in their quiet town. To quote from the end of the book, “One night a house burned to the ground. There was someone inside on the floor, someone who couldn’t move. Something began; something ended. It took a long time to clean up.” That is the framework of the story, but the telling of it makes it so much more. As a reader, I felt the same lack of certainty about Edvard’s guilt as does Vidar; were the police too quick to jump to a conclusion, and in doing so miss other evidence? For Vidar, this case affects his career and his personal life; for Isak, his life will never be the same, and he lives in fear that the same violence that apparently affected his grandfather and uncle lives in him as well. The future of these two remains linked in ways with which neither is comfortable. Translator Rachel Willson-Broyles is to be commended for weaving in words from the Swedish, like “kymig” (something or someone mean or unpleasant, just not feeling quite right) and the phrase that in English would be expressed as not knowing what to do with oneself in a situation instead is translated as “not knowing where to put oneself” to strong effect. I truly enjoyed immersing myself in this part of the Swedish countryside, evoked so well by author Christoffer Carlsson, and stayed glued to the story as I turned each page. Readers of the novels of Henning Markell, Stieg Larson, and Jo Nesbø should definitely add this and Mr. Carlsson’s other works to their TBR pile (at the top, I would add) at their earliest opportunity, as should people who enjoy the prose of authors like Kent Haruf and Joyce Carol Oates. This is an amazing book, told by a gifted user of language, and I am very grateful both to NetGalley and to the Random House Publishing Group/Random House Hogarth for granting me access to an advanced reader’s copy in return for my honest review.
On a November night in 1994 in the village of Marbäck, Ulrika Antonsson calls the authorities to report that a neighboring farmhouse is on fire. The fire department, police department and ambulance services arrive but it is too late….the old wooden house is fully engulfed. As the police talk to neighbors at the scene they find that the couple who owns the farm. The Markströms, are out at a party but that their adult daughter Lovisa was seen returning home earlier that night. Once the building is safe to enter Lovisa’s body is found, and it is determined that she died due to blunt force trauma. In short, it is murder. Suspicion immediately falls upon Edvard Christensson; not only was he Lovisa’s boyfriend, he was found that night in the woods near the farm smelling of smoke and with blood on him. He is known to have a temper and to have not always treated Lovisa well, and as his father before him was abusive to his wife, it surprises no one that Edvard might have killed Lovisa. He denies doing it, once he is coherent and able to talk of what happened that night, but his claims of seeing an unknown car are not backed up by any other witnesses. In a small town, everyone notices strangers and everyone knows one another’s business; surely someone would have seen someone else near the scene of the fire. The Chief Inspector is convinced that they have sufficient evidence to convict Edvard of killing Lovisa, and the town agrees with his decision to arrest him. Left behind are Lovisa’s grieving parents, the local rookie police officer who both discovered Edvard in the woods and one of his gloves in an adjacent field, and Edvard’s family, his sister Eva and her husband and their young son Isak who adores his uncle. The effects on the lives of these and others in the community first during the investigation and prosecution of the crime, again nine years later when a cataclysmic hurricane decimates the Marbäck area and Edvard dies, and finally twelve years after the fire, when the full truth finally comes out are told with compassion and an adept portrayal of human nature.
Under the Storm is one of those novels that is both a fantastic police procedural mystery and a brilliantly crafted novel, using the nuance of language, local folklore and an empathetic grasp on how people think, feel and relate. This is not a fast paced, chase-scene infused, cynical sort of mystery, so don’t pick up a copy if that’s what you’re after. I was immediately drawn to the characters, the town, and the tragedies of the different lives in Marbäck. We have Vidar Jörgensson, a young police officer who is from the area and knows all of the victims and suspects, who became a police officer mostly because that was what his father did, and who is not certain that justice has been done; young Isak Nyqvist, whose love and admiration for the uncle is shattered when Edvard is arrested and convicted for his girlfriend’s murder, and the taint of the crime is extended to Isak and his parents; and the many friends, co-workers and others who feel the ripple effect of a terrible crime in their quiet town. To quote from the end of the book, “One night a house burned to the ground. There was someone inside on the floor, someone who couldn’t move. Something began; something ended. It took a long time to clean up.” That is the framework of the story, but the telling of it makes it so much more. As a reader, I felt the same lack of certainty about Edvard’s guilt as does Vidar; were the police too quick to jump to a conclusion, and in doing so miss other evidence? For Vidar, this case affects his career and his personal life; for Isak, his life will never be the same, and he lives in fear that the same violence that apparently affected his grandfather and uncle lives in him as well. The future of these two remains linked in ways with which neither is comfortable. Translator Rachel Willson-Broyles is to be commended for weaving in words from the Swedish, like “kymig” (something or someone mean or unpleasant, just not feeling quite right) and the phrase that in English would be expressed as not knowing what to do with oneself in a situation instead is translated as “not knowing where to put oneself” to strong effect. I truly enjoyed immersing myself in this part of the Swedish countryside, evoked so well by author Christoffer Carlsson, and stayed glued to the story as I turned each page. Readers of the novels of Henning Markell, Stieg Larson, and Jo Nesbø should definitely add this and Mr. Carlsson’s other works to their TBR pile (at the top, I would add) at their earliest opportunity, as should people who enjoy the prose of authors like Kent Haruf and Joyce Carol Oates. This is an amazing book, told by a gifted user of language, and I am very grateful both to NetGalley and to the Random House Publishing Group/Random House Hogarth for granting me access to an advanced reader’s copy in return for my honest review.
February 28, 2024
When a young woman is found dead after the fire of a farmhouse, her death is quickly ruled a murder. Residents of Marbäck are shaken, but no one more so than ten-year-old Isak. Isak is devastated as his beloved uncle Edvard is arrested, tried and convicted of the woman's murder. At the time there was a rookie cop named Vidar who was one of the first on the scene of the fire. For years, Vidar had strong doubts of Edvard's innocence and this led Vidar to many difficulties over the years. This included Vidar eventually leaving the police force.
Isak's parents were having difficulties while he was young, and Edvard had been a wonderful influence on him. With Edvard's imprisonment, Isak's years as a child and then young adult become wrought with difficulties. Meanwhile, Vidar never once stops looking for answers.
Under the Storm was set in Sweden and written by a brilliant author who truly understands criminology, especially when it came to Vidar's continued investigation of the murder, even up to two decades later. As this is the first book in a series, one translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles. I do look forward to following this series, and hope to see more of Vidar.
Many thanks to Hogarth and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Isak's parents were having difficulties while he was young, and Edvard had been a wonderful influence on him. With Edvard's imprisonment, Isak's years as a child and then young adult become wrought with difficulties. Meanwhile, Vidar never once stops looking for answers.
Under the Storm was set in Sweden and written by a brilliant author who truly understands criminology, especially when it came to Vidar's continued investigation of the murder, even up to two decades later. As this is the first book in a series, one translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles. I do look forward to following this series, and hope to see more of Vidar.
Many thanks to Hogarth and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
May 29, 2024
Väldigt länge har jag gått och klämt på Järtecken. Min förhoppning var nämligen att jag skulle läsa den under ett besök i Simlångsdalen, så nära Marbäck man kan hitta ett ställe att bo på. Lika länge så stod sambon emot mitt tjat, men plötsligt, tidigt i våras, så gav han med sig och det bokades ett en hotellweekend. Då var den boken en självklar reskamrat.
Det här är ingen gängse deckare, utan, precis som det står på försättsbladet, en roman om ett brott. Stämningsmässigt påminner den om Den enögda kaninen, som jag fortfarande håller som hans bästa. Denna ligger dock inte långt efter. I mitt tycke så är Christoffer Carlsson som allra bäst när han skriver om sin hemtrakt. Det blir en extra nerv och det känns så äkta och genuint. Och insiktsfullt. Allt känns väldigt nära.
Järtecken är en riktigt tragisk berättelse och faktum är att jag skulle vilja sätta den i händerna på alla som fryner åt hela genren "deckare". Precis som med vanliga romaner så finns det bra och så finns det dåliga deckare. Detta är en av de bra. Oavsett vilken genre du vill placera den i.
OBS! Detta är en kraftigt förkortad text. Hela finns på min blogg
Det här är ingen gängse deckare, utan, precis som det står på försättsbladet, en roman om ett brott. Stämningsmässigt påminner den om Den enögda kaninen, som jag fortfarande håller som hans bästa. Denna ligger dock inte långt efter. I mitt tycke så är Christoffer Carlsson som allra bäst när han skriver om sin hemtrakt. Det blir en extra nerv och det känns så äkta och genuint. Och insiktsfullt. Allt känns väldigt nära.
Järtecken är en riktigt tragisk berättelse och faktum är att jag skulle vilja sätta den i händerna på alla som fryner åt hela genren "deckare". Precis som med vanliga romaner så finns det bra och så finns det dåliga deckare. Detta är en av de bra. Oavsett vilken genre du vill placera den i.
OBS! Detta är en kraftigt förkortad text. Hela finns på min blogg
July 23, 2023
This excellent mystery is set in a small town in western Sweden. A house burns, and the body of a well-liked young woman is found inside., murdered, not burned. The story is rolled out over several decades as families grapple with the arrest and sentencing of a local man, the loss of the victim and questions about the crime. Christoffer Carlsson has created many compelling characters in "Under the Storm: but the one who stands out is Isak, who is eleven when his beloved uncle is sentenced to life in prison. We watch him grow up and have to take on the mantle of violence the town has laid on his family.
This is a skilled and gripping novel, brilliantly realized and artfully translated (by Rachel Willson-Broyles.) Carlsson is a professor of criminology and certainly has the gift for digging into his characters' brains and hearts. I'm so impressed by this book that I've already started "Blaze Me a Sun." Don't miss this outstanding thriller.
This is a skilled and gripping novel, brilliantly realized and artfully translated (by Rachel Willson-Broyles.) Carlsson is a professor of criminology and certainly has the gift for digging into his characters' brains and hearts. I'm so impressed by this book that I've already started "Blaze Me a Sun." Don't miss this outstanding thriller.
July 19, 2023
Christoffer Carlsson is a well known author and criminologist professor in Sweden and becoming a name here in the US. His ability to articulate the motivations and illnesses of humans as well as the explaining the trauma of crime is unmatched.
In Under the Storm, a young woman is found murdered in a farmhouse that is burnt to the ground. Isak is a 10 year old bystander
and while his beloved uncle is found guilty, it's unclear if the case was truly solved. Carlsson addresses societal issues regarding who pays for a crime and for how long as he takes on a trip through Marbäck, a town attempting to bounce back after a violent crime.
#UnderThestorm #ChristofferCarlsson #randomhouse
In Under the Storm, a young woman is found murdered in a farmhouse that is burnt to the ground. Isak is a 10 year old bystander
and while his beloved uncle is found guilty, it's unclear if the case was truly solved. Carlsson addresses societal issues regarding who pays for a crime and for how long as he takes on a trip through Marbäck, a town attempting to bounce back after a violent crime.
#UnderThestorm #ChristofferCarlsson #randomhouse
January 14, 2020
Spännande, fängslande och verkligen en bok jag inte kunde lägga ifrån mig! Så tragiska öden och så intressant att gräva i vad som händer med dem som blir kvar...
February 9, 2021
3,5/5
Książka na pewno spodoba się fanom szwedzkiego, surowego stylu pisania, którzy nie mają nic przeciwko dużej objętości stron.
Książka na pewno spodoba się fanom szwedzkiego, surowego stylu pisania, którzy nie mają nic przeciwko dużej objętości stron.
September 21, 2023
Ein guter Krimi aus Schweden, spannend und mit einigem Mehrwert; ein wenig konstruiert im dritten Teil.
December 4, 2023
There is absolutely nothing better, in my opinion, than a moodily atmospheric, sparsely (yet poignantly) worded Swedish crime mystery! "Under the Storm" by Christoffer Carlsson deliver that and much more! The ARC edition of this novel was my first experience with Carlsson's work, but I am already searching out the availability of his previous literary efforts and highly recommend this novel to future readers.
At the center of this novel is the horrific, unsolved murder of a young woman deep in the countryside of Marbäck, Sweden. At the novel's steadily beating heart, however, is the careful examination of how acts so horrible and mystifying reach out and insinuate themselves into the very lives of the family, friends, neighbors, town folk, and investigators. I can not think of a more aptly chosen title to foreshadow what is to come within the book's pages!
Carlsson puts forth early on in the novel a Swedish concept (yet to this very non-Swedish reader it rang universally true within the human experience) of "not knowing where to put oneself." As best as I can summarize this idea without revealing how this concept played out in the novel, the idea that no matter what stage of life one is in, no matter what level of experience or education one possesses, no matter one's age or gender, there is a pervasive (and often elusive) quality of being ill-equipped to stand with understanding within one's own life. More likely, it would seem, that we frail humans find ourselves flailing about separate and apart, as it were, from fully understanding our place in not only our own life but also our true place within the world around us. I do so hope I've articulated that well enough, dear potential reader. Ahhhhh...the Swedes do introspection wonderfully, yes?
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and am deeply grateful to the author for his craft and to the publisher for bringing the book to its U.S. readers. (This ARC was a translation from its original Swedish.) I offer this honest review in advance of its publication date of February 27, 2024.
#underthestorm
#christoffercarlson
#netgalley
#swedishcrimenovels
#wheretoputoneself
At the center of this novel is the horrific, unsolved murder of a young woman deep in the countryside of Marbäck, Sweden. At the novel's steadily beating heart, however, is the careful examination of how acts so horrible and mystifying reach out and insinuate themselves into the very lives of the family, friends, neighbors, town folk, and investigators. I can not think of a more aptly chosen title to foreshadow what is to come within the book's pages!
Carlsson puts forth early on in the novel a Swedish concept (yet to this very non-Swedish reader it rang universally true within the human experience) of "not knowing where to put oneself." As best as I can summarize this idea without revealing how this concept played out in the novel, the idea that no matter what stage of life one is in, no matter what level of experience or education one possesses, no matter one's age or gender, there is a pervasive (and often elusive) quality of being ill-equipped to stand with understanding within one's own life. More likely, it would seem, that we frail humans find ourselves flailing about separate and apart, as it were, from fully understanding our place in not only our own life but also our true place within the world around us. I do so hope I've articulated that well enough, dear potential reader. Ahhhhh...the Swedes do introspection wonderfully, yes?
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and am deeply grateful to the author for his craft and to the publisher for bringing the book to its U.S. readers. (This ARC was a translation from its original Swedish.) I offer this honest review in advance of its publication date of February 27, 2024.
#underthestorm
#christoffercarlson
#netgalley
#swedishcrimenovels
#wheretoputoneself
March 5, 2019
Betyg: 5 av 5.
Järtecken är Christoffer Carlssons åttonde bok. Jag har läst alla hans sju tidigare böcker, och tyckt väldigt mycket om dom allihopa. Både dom fyra böckerna i serien om Leo Junker, och dom tre fristående böckerna. Alla sju böckerna har fått det näst högsta betyget från mig. Och jag rekommenderar dom allihopa.
Men Järtecken var ännu ett snäpp bättre, och får det högsta betyget från mig. Vet inte riktigt om den ska klassas som en roman eller kriminalroman. Läste någonstans att den kallas för en brottsroman. För även om den handlar om ett mord, så handlar den lika mycket om annat.
Järtecken innehåller fantastiska miljöbeskrivningar, och lika fantastiska karaktärsbeskrivningar. Den beskriver relationer mellan människor på ett väldigt bra sätt. Men den är även spännande. Själva mordhistorien är trovärdig och absolut inte förutsägbar.
Rekommenderar varmt boken, och ser mycket fram emot förhoppningsvis fler liknande böcker av Christoffer Carlsson.
Järtecken är Christoffer Carlssons åttonde bok. Jag har läst alla hans sju tidigare böcker, och tyckt väldigt mycket om dom allihopa. Både dom fyra böckerna i serien om Leo Junker, och dom tre fristående böckerna. Alla sju böckerna har fått det näst högsta betyget från mig. Och jag rekommenderar dom allihopa.
Men Järtecken var ännu ett snäpp bättre, och får det högsta betyget från mig. Vet inte riktigt om den ska klassas som en roman eller kriminalroman. Läste någonstans att den kallas för en brottsroman. För även om den handlar om ett mord, så handlar den lika mycket om annat.
Järtecken innehåller fantastiska miljöbeskrivningar, och lika fantastiska karaktärsbeskrivningar. Den beskriver relationer mellan människor på ett väldigt bra sätt. Men den är även spännande. Själva mordhistorien är trovärdig och absolut inte förutsägbar.
Rekommenderar varmt boken, och ser mycket fram emot förhoppningsvis fler liknande böcker av Christoffer Carlsson.
December 26, 2019
Jag skulle vilja tillhöra skaran som gillar Christoffer Carlssons böcker men jag får nog inse att jag aldrig kommer att lyckas. Intrycket jag får av Järtecken är att den är plottrig och långsam. Det är inte en klassisk deckare och inte heller en spänningsroman. Den är mer en roman med lite inslag av spänning. Karaktärerna är välskrivna och jag uppskattar hur författaren använder sin kriminologikunskap till att bygga upp personerna. Men tyvärr räcker det inte riktigt för mig.
June 14, 2021
Jag tänker länge att "nog är det sämre än Brinn mig en sol?". Och: "nog är den här grejen om vad som är ondska lite pretentiös?".
Och jo, liiite sämre är det. Och jo, liite pretentiöst, om inte annat i ansats.
Men jag kapitulerar inför Carlssons lugna, välavvägda ton. Inför hans lugna, välavvägda karaktärer.
Det är fortfarande en "svensk deckare", sure.
Men kan fler svenskar skriva deckare så här, tack?
Och jo, liiite sämre är det. Och jo, liite pretentiöst, om inte annat i ansats.
Men jag kapitulerar inför Carlssons lugna, välavvägda ton. Inför hans lugna, välavvägda karaktärer.
Det är fortfarande en "svensk deckare", sure.
Men kan fler svenskar skriva deckare så här, tack?
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