Orenda Books Book Tour: Home Before Dark by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir translated by Victoria Cribb

 

I can hardly resist a week without some haunting ´Noir´, preferably Nordic, on my TBR. The mystery of the week comes today again from Iceland, a dark novel by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir translated by Victoria Cribb, published by Orenda Books. I´ve lost count how often I am reviewing books published by them; the more the merrier. 

The book is part of the Icelandic trilogy, but reads as well as a standalone novel. 

Told by two separate narrators, in an intricated and elaborated narrative, Home Before Dark is one of the darkest stories I´ve read recently. Not only the story itself feels like suffocating, but the characters as well seem to fight helplessly against the inertia of their own evils. It is also interesting that the story is placed many decades ago, towards the second half of the 20th century which gives a certain distance to the current times, allowing the author to have the freedom of choice in terms of events and ambiance descriptions. At a certain extent, it looks like out of time, hence the focus on facts and especially the ways in which facts do carry an existential weight on the characters´ further development.

Marsi, 14 at the time, impersonated her sister, Stina, corresponding with a penpal boy on the other side of the country. (Yeah, those were the times, when penpals were actually a thing). She missed meeting him, but her sister, Stina, is found dead at their meeting place. Ten years after, she is still haunted by the memory and self-guilt of the events, with dramatic effects on her mental health. People from that past may return, leading to answering some questions regarding her sister´s murder. And maybe some more hints about the murderer.

Home Before Dark is less a crime investigation per se, rather a study on living with a traumatic past. Eva Björg Ægisdóttir is perfectly mastering the art of revealing secrets that may be confusing for the reader, but will unexpectedly lead to a possible closure.

I´ve found the writing construction very unique. The spider´s web plot and the evolving dynamic between the characters made it into a story that´s hard to let down until is over.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own