Thursday, August 6, 2009

Jar City, by Arnaldur Indridason

In a basement apartment in Reykjavik, an elderly man is found dead. He didn't die in his sleep, and it quickly becomes apparent that he was not nearly as good a person as he might have been. A cryptic note has been left with his body. For quite awhile, we only know that this short note ends with the word 'him'.

The detective in charge, Erlendur, is as mystified by this as we are. Of course, he's got other problems. He's got chest pains that he's not dealing with, and a drug-addicted daughter who shows up at his door. And you wouldn't be wrong to say that he has "anger management" issues, either.

In some ways, Indridason fits very neatly into the incredibly strong wave of Scandinavian writers who've crossed the Atlantic in translation these last few years. The writing is good, the detective is, shall we say, "gloomy", and the plotting very solid. But there are aspects of this story, and indeed of the mystery plot itself that have a definitely Icelandic tincture. I like a mystery that could only be set in one place and nowhere else. It adds to the air of inevitability.

This book was written before Iceland's economic meltdown. I read during that golden era that Reykjavik was supposed to be one of the most desirable cities in the world to live in. (I remember this because it came as something of a surprise.) Indridason didn't paint the city or the country in such glowing terms even then. I can't wait to see what fictional capital he'll make out of the current much more downbeat situation.

12 comments:

  1. I like a mystery that could only be set in one place and nowhere else.

    That's exactly why I liked this book.
    =================
    Detectives Beyond Borders
    "Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
    http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

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  2. Great minds, eh, Peter?

    But seriously, I assume you've pondered Indridason on your own blog, haven't you?

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  3. Indeed I have. I discuss Arnaldur's use of setting here. And I hoist a gin and tonic with him here.
    =================
    Detectives Beyond Borders
    "Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
    http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

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  4. That was an interesting post. By the way, I think Jar City is a much better title than the U.K version you mentioned on your blog, Tainted Blood. It's more intriguing, and it actually ties in to one of the mystery's central themes. Do you happen to know what it was called in Icelandic?

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  5. I agree with you on the titles. Jar City is enigmatic, it's creepy, and it ties in perfectly with the story. Tainted Blood sounds like a generic thriller. Or mystery. Or horror story.

    The Icelandic title is Mýrin. I'm not sure what that means, but a similar word meaning swamp or moor comes up on an online Icelandic dictionary.
    ==============
    Detectives Beyond Borders
    "Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
    http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

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  6. Hmm. Well, that would make sense for one key aspect of the story, I guess, but doesn't really say much about the whole.

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  7. And I would not even swear that that's what the title means. The dictionary may simply have called up a word that happens to share a few letter with the title. So I'd keep on thinking of the book as Jar City.

    I've expressed preference for one title or another in occasional cases where books are published under more than one title, but I don't remember ever finding a title misleading, grating, or wince-makingly stupid.
    ==============
    Detectives Beyond Borders
    "Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
    http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

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  8. I can't think of one either. But I feel pretty sure I have come across one or two in my time.

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  9. A fine review! I like your remark about anger management :D

    I think Indridason may have been influenced by Sjöwall & Wahlöö´s famous Martin Beck when he created Erlendur.

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  10. Thank you, Dorte!

    Yes, I loved those Martin Beck novels. A good friend who did the mystery section in our store when I first got there turned me on to these and I'm eternally beholden. I think a lot of Scandinavian crime writers owe an even greater debt to Sjowall and Wahloo. (Sorry, I don't know how to do the symbols over words function on blogger.)

    By the way, they've recently been reissued over here in great new paperback editions. Hope this gives this great writing team a new audience.

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  11. Yes, they have been a great source of inspiration.

    I agree that the new paperback edition is great; if a crime fiction reader wants to see her/himself as well-read within Scandinavian crime this series is a must. And fortunately, most of the books are also quite entertaining ;)

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  12. Yes, I think people sometimes bypass these for something more of the current moment--to their loss.

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