by Agnes Ravatn (T. Rosie Hedger)
SYNOPSIS
Married couple Karin and Kai are looking for a pleasant escape from their busy lives, and reluctantly accept an offer to stay in a luxurious holiday home in the Norwegian fjords.
Instead of finding a relaxing retreat, however, their trip becomes a reminder of everything lacking in their own lives, and in a less-than-friendly meeting with their new neighbours, Karin tells a little white lie.... Against the backdrop of the glistening water and within the claustrophobic walls of the ultra-modern house, Karin’s insecurities blossom, and her lie grows ever bigger, entangling her and her husband in a nightmare spiral of deceits with absolutely no means of escape...
REVIEW
When Karin bumps into a childhood friend turned enemy, all she wants to do is run away unnoticed. Unfortunately, Iris is not the kind of person who takes no for an answer and Karin finds herself being talked into helping her out with a legal issue she was dealing with. This one piece of advice then develops into an invite to stay in the ultra-modern, luxurious holiday cabin owned by Iris - a reflection of everything Karin thinks she has missed out on in her own life. Despite her reservations about the holiday, Karin and her husband Kai prepare to spend a week in the Norwegian Fjords where one white lie turns into a much bigger problem for an already dejected Karin. As I was reading about Karin and Kai, and their 'free' holiday I suddenly realised that I was about halfway through the book and technically nothing had really happened yet. Usually this would be a negative point for me when reviewing but in this case, I was so absorbed in this couple's dynamic and in trying to work out the exact nature of Karin's mental state or what her game plan was, that I honestly didn't even notice. The thing I loved the most about this book was that it's not always about what happens but the fact that something might happen or is about to happen. It's unsettling, there's always this feeling that you are on the edge of something bad coming their way and it's the anticipation of it that creates such an interesting atmosphere. At no point did I really know which direction the story would take.
The Bird Tribunal, the first thriller from the author, was published back in 2016 followed by The Seven Doors in 2020. I was such a huge fan of both novels and after reading The Guests I can confirm that this really is a case of quality over quantity in terms of both the frequency and length of the work. All three novels are under 280 pages but between the incredibly detailed characters who are explored, the uncomfortable domestic noir storylines and the gorgeous Scandinavian settings, there is so much tension and emotion packed into these pint-sized paperbacks you never feel like you are missing out. If you are a fan of the Nordic Noir sub-genre but haven't had a chance to read anything from Agnes Ravatn yet, I would highly recommend all three novels. The style is a little different but once you get into the stories they are totally engrossing and atmospheric reads.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Agnes Ravatn is a Norwegian author and columnist. She made her literary début with the novel Week 53 in 2007. Since then she has written a number of critically acclaimed and award-winning essay collections, including Standing, Popular Reading and Operation Self-discipline, in which she recounts her experience with social-media addiction. Her debut thriller, The Bird Tribunal, won the cultural radio P2’s listener’s prize in addition to The Youth’s Critic’s Prize, and was made into a successful play in Oslo in 2015. The English translation, published by Orenda Books in 2016, was a WHSmith Fresh Talent Pick, winner of a PEN Translation Award, a BBC Radio Four ‘Book at Bedtime’ and shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award and the 2017 Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year. Critically acclaimed The Seven Doors was published in 2020. Agnes lives with her family in the Norwegian countryside.
Rosie Hedger was born in Scotland and completed her MA (Hons) in Scandinavian Studies at the University of Edinburgh. She has lived and worked in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, and now lives in York where she works as a freelance translator. Rosie was a candidate in the British Center for Literary Translation’s mentoring scheme for Norwegian in 2012, mentored by Don Bartlett. Visit her website: rosiehedger.com and follow her on Twitter @rosie_hedger
Thanks to Anne Cater - @RandomTTours, Agnes Ravatn and Orenda Books - @OrendaBooks for the opportunity to read and review
Fiction: Nordic Noir / Psychological Suspense
Publisher: Orenda Books
ISBN: 978-1913193584
Pages: 276pp
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