I thought Norwegian By Night was excellent. It is gripping, well written and thoughful.
It is the story of Sheldon Horowitz, an ex-marine in his 80s who has moved to Norway to live with his granddaughter and her husband. Through a series of unusual but believable events he ends up on the run from police and Kosovan gangsters while sheltering a young boy with whom he has no language in common.
It’s an odd set-up, but it works very well. It’s a very well told story, with some very good characters – notably Sigrid, the senior police officer directing the investigation, and Sheldon himself. Sheldon may or may not have some level of dementia, so we are not sure whether the history he gives himself as an active sniper in Korea is true or not (although the truth becomes plainer later on). Meanwhile, we get his blunt, sometimes irascible thoughts about all sorts of things and throuh this the book has important things to say about aging, loss, love, masculinity and other things.
I thought it was terrific. I was gripped by the story and sometimes amused and sometimes very moved by Sheldon and his musings and actions. The whole thing will stay with me for a long time and I can recommend it very warmly.
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