"For Books are not absolutely dead things, but doe contain a potencie of life in them to be as active as that soule was whose progeny they are; nay they do preserve as in a violl the purest efficacie and extraction of that living intellect that bred them." - John Milton
Thursday, 23 July 2015
Arnaldur Indridason - The Draining Lake
Rating: 5/5
Review:
Intelligent and gripping
I thought this was a very engrossing and enjoyable book. It is the first of Indridasson's I have read, and I will be looking out for others by him.
Indridasson writes very well in a low-key style which I liked very much, and the characters are very well-drawn. The translation is excellent. There is no overblown prose or breathless descriptions of implausibly violent events, but the atmosphere and sense of place, both in present-day Iceland and in 1950s East Germany is exceptionally well evoked and truly engrossing - I really enjoyed getting a feel for Iceland in particular. The plot is (thank heavens) both comprehensible and believable and there is mystery and plenty of genuine tension in spite of a total (and to me welcome) absence of sex scenes, explosions and car chases.
In short, this is an intelligent, thoughtful and humane book which is also a really gripping read. Highly recommended.
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