The Indian Bride by Karin Fossum
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A friend who always pointed reliably to good mysteries recommended this author and I believe even this book to me a long time ago. Somewhere along the way, I snagged a used copy of it, and it has been sitting on my shelf ever since. I threw it into my backpack as I headed out to the airport, but didn't manage to get too far into it on my holiday trip. Initially, I found its premise mildly interesting if somewhat unlikely--a reclusive middle-aged Norwegian man gets it into his head to go to India and find a wife. Surprisingly, he does.

In most cases, I think, this would continue as a cautionary tale about foolish schemes. It is a mystery novel, after all. But that is not where Fossum takes it. Instead she uses what happens to this particular marriage to paint a portrait of a small Norwegian village caught in its wake. My mild initial interest slowly turned into real absorption. I will definitely be reading more of Fossum.

Reposted from GoodReads. I'll add here that there was a nice coincidence while I was reading this book that I also happened upon Geoff Dyer's reflection on reading books that have been sitting on his shelf for too long--or so some might say. You can read it HERE.