When authors you followed for a long time are teaming together, although you may be sceptical about writing duos, you know that something spectacular is in the air. I´ve followed Johana Gustawsson for a few titles already, and calling her the Queen of French Noir is more than well deserved. Thomas Enger is also a known name for me, as I already reviewed two of his books, also written in duo.
Published by Orenda Books, an edition house that I am always pleased to feature, Son is a joint writing project between Gustawsson and Enger, delivering a nerve-racking novel with a unique psychological depth.
Son, the title, plays a double meaning. First, it refers to one of the main places where the action takes part, a fjord town in Norway. Last but not least, it connects the life story of the main investigator, Kari Voss, whose 9-year old son disappeared few years ago without a trace. The novel is connecting all those pathways together.
Voss, also known as a human lies detector, with special psychological capacity aimed at reading human intentions, especially when it has to do with identifying culprits. But those powers are put into question by her colleagues, as she is involved in solving the murder of two girls. The case though proves to be more complex than expected, connecting with intimate episodes from her personal history.
Psychologically complex, deeply footed into the world of psychological experiments, particularly the false memory, this book has a very heavy loaded take. It is sometimes hard to make the right distinction between right and wrong, and this uncertainty plays an important role in creating the ambiance of the book. The game of smoked mirrors is part of this ambiance and as a reader, had to take a break once in a while in order to process the new information and possible different directions of the story.
Son is an unexpected story, that needs time to read and understand, but nevertheless a gem of ´Nordic noir´.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own
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