Name: Snowblind
Rating: 3.423076923076923 (26 reviews)
ISBN: 9781250096074

Ragnar Jonasson

Ragnar

This translation originally published: Great Britain: Orenda Books, 2015.

A Thriller

Snowblind

Ragnar Jónasson

Taut and terrifying, a startling debut from an extraordinary new talent, taking Nordic Noir to soaring new heights Siglufjorour: an idyllically quiet fishing village in Northern Iceland, where no one locks their doors, and which is accessible only via a small mountain tunnel. Ari Thor Arason: a rookie policeman on his first posting, far from his girlfriend in Reykjavik, with a past that he s unable to leave behind. When a young woman is found lying half-naked in the snow, bleeding and unconscious, and a highly esteemed, elderly writer falls to his death in the local theater, Ari is dragged straight into the heart of a community where he can trust no one, and where secrets and lies are a way of life. An avalanche and unremitting snowstorms close the mountain pass, and the 24-hour darkness threatens to push Ari over the edge, as curtains begin to twitch, and his investigation becomes increasingly complex, chilling, and personal. Past plays tag with the present and the claustrophobic tension mounts, while Ari is thrust ever deeper into his own darkness blinded by snow, and with a killer on the loose."

A bit random. Lots of detail; possibly  too much. I know we’re setting the scene in this first book, but I thought there was a lot that could have been edited better. Despite that, it was a good read.

Jan Jackson

Colleen

3.5 Stars
 
Snowblind caught my eye because it is set in Iceland which happens to be one of my top bucket list travel destinations. I also like to make an effort to read non-English authors. Life gets boring if you only read New York Times Bestsellers. So a detective novel set in remote Iceland definitely piqued my interest.
 
This book is listed as Nordic Noir – a subgenre which Goodreads defines as “a genre comprising crime fiction written in Scandinavia with certain common characteristics, typically in a realistic style with a dark, morally complex mood.” And that certainly is a good starting point for describing Snowblind.
 
This story is very character driven. In many ways it is more about the characters than the plot. The plot ties everyone together, but the meat of the story is about their thoughts and feelings rather than crime procedures. It is a slow burning story rather than being action-packed. The languorous tone and character focus reminded me of In the Woods. This book is not fast-paced enough to be called a Thriller even though the English version calls it that on the cover which may cause some people to go into it with false expectations. Just be patient and let the events unfold.
 
The story starts off with young Ari Thór takes a job as a police officer in the remote town of Siglufjörður. Ari Thór is more of a central character than a main character. His arrival is the trigger for several events and he is the character that the narrative spends the most time on, but the story also focuses on several other characters to varying degrees. The characters and small town dynamic were what made the story interesting.
 
I very much enjoyed the setting and the author’s descriptions. The writing was atmospheric and the imagery was striking. Most of the story takes place in Siglufjörður, Iceland - a real town on the north coast of Iceland just shy of the Arctic Circle. I was pleasantly surprised how much the descriptions reminded me of living on the Maine coast. Although there are certainly cultural differences, apparently there are a lot of commonalities between living in a small Northern coastal town in Maine and a small Northern coastal town in Iceland. So the descriptions of the blessings and curses of living in a small town rang true whether it was the annoyance of everyone knowing who you are even if you have never met them or the indisputable fact that if you weren’t born and raised there, you will always be “from away.” The descriptions of the land itself and the duality of winter being harsh yet exquisite were haunting.
 
If “Siglufjörður“ didn’t clue you in, the story is full Icelandic names both for the characters and the locations. The places are all real names, and yes, they are a bit of a mouthful. I did look up the pronunciation of a few of them, but I don’t think it should cause most readers too much confusion. It just shows that the setting is authentic. There were some parts where the writing seems a little choppy, but I could not tell if that was the translation or the original writing.
 
The story does skip around in time. Between the non-chronological parts and the multiple narrations, it was hard to tell how everything fits together at first. I did get confused a couple of times. I’ll avoid any major spoilers for the plot itself, but it did not have a nice neat bow like whodunits usually have. (I gather that is a tenant of Nordic Noir.) I appreciate the realism of loose ends and the impact of moral ambiguity more as the older I get. Sometimes I want the satisfaction of the all-inclusive neat bows, and other times I want something more realistic.
 
The only other thing to mention is that this is the first book in the English publication order, but apparently the original series had a different publication order. I won’t know how much of an impact that has until I read more of the series though.
 
Overall, I loved the atmosphere and the characters but did have some issues with the plot and pacing. I debated back and forth on whether to round my rating up or down but eventually rounded up since most of my thoughts were positive and the series shows potential. I will continue on with the series, although sadly my library does not have any of the other books yet.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 3 Stars
Writing Style: 4 Stars
Characters: 4 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 4 Stars

Ilona Labská 

I liked how slow was story developed. Also, the developing of characters was really sophisticated. I'm looking forward to the next book.

jiaqi kang

(bought wrapped up with only a cryptic blurb at blackwells oxford by my bf as an exam completion gift) This is apparently the “nordic agatha christie” but turned out to be just another crime novel with awful, awkward exposition and shoddy characterisation. really fun to just devour mindlessly after a stressful school term tho. REALLY glad i read this in the summer bc the weather descriptions would probably have provoked a breakdown otherwise

Where: A quiet fishing village in northern Iceland, where no one locks their doors. It is accessible only via a small mountain tunnel. Who: Ari Thor is a rookie policeman on his first posting, far from his girlfriend in Reykjavik. He has a past that he's unable to leave behind. What: A young woman is found lying half-naked in the snow, bleeding and unconscious, and a highly esteemed elderly writer falls to his death. Ari is dragged straight into the heart of a community where he can trust no one, and secrets and lies are a way of life. Past plays tag with the present and the claustrophobic tension mounts, while Ari is thrust ever deeper into his own darkness—blinded by snow and with a killer on the loose. Taut and terrifying, Snowblind is a startling debut from Ragnar Jonasson, an extraordinary new talent.

Rachel Schommer

3.75/5

Fresh out of college Ari Thór takes a job with a police force 5 hours away from home without really thinking on it, nor consulting with his live-in girlfriend, who is going to medical school and very much ingrained in her current community. His new job is in the farthest Northern part of Iceland in a small town where nothing happens. Should be a pretty cushy gig, right? That may have been true, until a woman appears in the middle of town, half nude and on the brink of death...

To kick off the book, part of me wanted to hate Ari Thór for taking this job without even talking to his partner about it, but then I thought back to right before college graduation and the desperation of finding a job (mid economic crisis, mind you), and I just couldn't. I understand why he did it 100%. Great, now we've got that out of the way.

I felt this was more of a suspense/mystery than thriller. There wasn't really any super fast-paced moments; the whole book felt like a slow-burn, but there was just something about it. It was very well written. There was a duality to the book as well - a few very in-your-face crimes, but also a side story that eventually comes into play, and had me stumped throughout. The actual who done it part of the book felt very Agatha Christie to me. 

I enjoyed getting to know young Ari Thór. Seeing as how I knew this was a series going in, I wanted a character that I wouldn't mind following for 5 more books. Jónasson delivered that with Ari. In addition to the mystery of who committed the crime, there's the bonus mystery of which love interest does he choose?! Who doesn't love a little romance sprinkled into their suspense novel? I sure do!

Snowblind A Thriller

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