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Konrad Sejer #11
Κάρμεν
Ο επιθεωρητής Σέγερ επιστρέφει!
Το έγκλημα που καλούνται να εξιχνιάσουν ο Σέγερ και η ομάδα του αυτή τη φορά είναι απλώς ένα ατύχημα ή έτσι μοιάζει… Ένα μικρό παιδί πνίγεται σε μια λιμνούλα. Μια στιγμή απροσεξίας έχει αυτό το τραγικό αποτέλεσμα….
Το έγκλημα που καλούνται να εξιχνιάσουν ο Σέγερ και η ομάδα του αυτή τη φορά είναι απλώς ένα ατύχημα ή έτσι μοιάζει… Ένα μικρό παιδί πνίγεται σε μια λιμνούλα. Μια στιγμή απροσεξίας έχει αυτό το τραγικό αποτέλεσμα….
248 pages, Paperback
First published September 4, 2013
190 people are currently reading
1809 people want to read
About the author
Karin Fossum
60 books1,138 followersKarin Fossum (née Mathisen) is a Norwegian author of crime fiction,often known there as the "Norwegian queen of crime". She lives in Oslo. Fossum was initially a poet, with her first collection published in 1974 when she was just 20. It won the Tarjei Vesaas' Debutant Prize. She is the author of the internationally successful Inspector Konrad Sejer series of crime novels, which have been translated into over 16 languages. She won the Glass key award for her novel "Don't Look Back", which also won the Riverton Prize, and she was shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger in 2005 for "Calling Out For You".
Series:
* Inspector Konrad Sejer
* Eddie Feber
Series:
* Inspector Konrad Sejer
* Eddie Feber
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 397 reviews
July 20, 2025
*3.5 stars *
I love Nordic noir, and this book by the Norwegian writer Karin Fossum is quite a short but powerful novel.
Fossum's protagonist in this series is Chief Inspector Sejer of the Sondre Buskerud police district – a widower in his fifties. Recently he has suffered from a series of severe dizzy attacks, but so far, despite the urgent entreaties of his daughter, he has not consulted a doctor.
His colleague, Jacob Skarre, brings him a new case. A sixteen-month-old boy has been drowned in a pond in his own garden. The forensics team are at the scene and the teenage parents are at the station. The young mother is hysterical and the father utterly silent. Sejer and Skarre first go to the home to inspect the naked little body, and Sejer quickly realises that the child had Down's syndrome.
Sejer interviews the parents. The father, Nicolai, can scarcely utter a word and is completely overcome with grief. The mother, Carmen, in floods of tears, tells a somewhat incoherent story. The little boy, Tommy, had only just learned to walk. She had given him a bath, and because the day was so hot – Norway is experiencing a severe heatwave – had left him unclothed while she prepared the evening meal. She was suddenly aware that he was no longer in the kitchen. Immediately thinking of the pond, she rushed into the garden and discovered him lying at the bottom of the pond beside the jetty. Her screams brought Nicolai out from the cellar, where he was repairing a bike (his favourite occupation). They tried in vain to resuscitate Tommy, having called an ambulance. The paramedics arrived quickly but were also unsuccessful.
This is a tightly controlled story, with a small cast of characters – the two policemen, the young couple and her parents, who are well off and run a successful restaurant in the town, providing most of the action. From the start, Sejer recognises that Carmen is wilful and utterly spoilt, and is convinced that she is not telling the truth.
The in-depth character studies and their psychology are completely engrossing. Running alongside is Sejer's awareness that his own mortality might be approaching, as his dizzy attacks continue. There are serious moral issues addressed for all the main characters. A thoroughly satisfactory novel.
I love Nordic noir, and this book by the Norwegian writer Karin Fossum is quite a short but powerful novel.
Fossum's protagonist in this series is Chief Inspector Sejer of the Sondre Buskerud police district – a widower in his fifties. Recently he has suffered from a series of severe dizzy attacks, but so far, despite the urgent entreaties of his daughter, he has not consulted a doctor.
His colleague, Jacob Skarre, brings him a new case. A sixteen-month-old boy has been drowned in a pond in his own garden. The forensics team are at the scene and the teenage parents are at the station. The young mother is hysterical and the father utterly silent. Sejer and Skarre first go to the home to inspect the naked little body, and Sejer quickly realises that the child had Down's syndrome.
Sejer interviews the parents. The father, Nicolai, can scarcely utter a word and is completely overcome with grief. The mother, Carmen, in floods of tears, tells a somewhat incoherent story. The little boy, Tommy, had only just learned to walk. She had given him a bath, and because the day was so hot – Norway is experiencing a severe heatwave – had left him unclothed while she prepared the evening meal. She was suddenly aware that he was no longer in the kitchen. Immediately thinking of the pond, she rushed into the garden and discovered him lying at the bottom of the pond beside the jetty. Her screams brought Nicolai out from the cellar, where he was repairing a bike (his favourite occupation). They tried in vain to resuscitate Tommy, having called an ambulance. The paramedics arrived quickly but were also unsuccessful.
This is a tightly controlled story, with a small cast of characters – the two policemen, the young couple and her parents, who are well off and run a successful restaurant in the town, providing most of the action. From the start, Sejer recognises that Carmen is wilful and utterly spoilt, and is convinced that she is not telling the truth.
The in-depth character studies and their psychology are completely engrossing. Running alongside is Sejer's awareness that his own mortality might be approaching, as his dizzy attacks continue. There are serious moral issues addressed for all the main characters. A thoroughly satisfactory novel.
July 20, 2016
2★
Background check: I’ve previously read and enjoyed all the books in this series. This is #11 and no doubt my swan song with the collection.
It concerns what happens when a spoiled, definitely not right in the head "child has a child" of her own but not the perfect one she hoped for. He’s damaged, inconvenient, and as the title tells us, has drowned. No Sherlock Holmes needed to figure out how that happened, especially since it’s served up on the pages from the beginning. I had to take a look at some professional reviews to see if I missed anything. Kirkus Reviews said: "Minimalist but compelling work from the author who seems to have inherited the gift of spinning the darkest complications out of what might seem like nothing at all.” That’s diplomatic. Minimalist is the key word with this one and there was almost nothing to it. I didn’t miss anything in the 240 pages and was bored throughout. Yes it’s tagged psychological suspense, not really mystery, but there was no suspense either which just left the psychology. Delving into a deranged mind has been done many times before and much better than this in my opinion. Add to that the minimally inventive denouement which was maximally improbable and you get two stars.
Then again, I could be just a spoiled reader that ended up with an imperfect book and is now getting compensation via my review for wasted reading time. You cannot necessarily trust the narrator.
Background check: I’ve previously read and enjoyed all the books in this series. This is #11 and no doubt my swan song with the collection.
It concerns what happens when a spoiled, definitely not right in the head "child has a child" of her own but not the perfect one she hoped for. He’s damaged, inconvenient, and as the title tells us, has drowned. No Sherlock Holmes needed to figure out how that happened, especially since it’s served up on the pages from the beginning. I had to take a look at some professional reviews to see if I missed anything. Kirkus Reviews said: "Minimalist but compelling work from the author who seems to have inherited the gift of spinning the darkest complications out of what might seem like nothing at all.” That’s diplomatic. Minimalist is the key word with this one and there was almost nothing to it. I didn’t miss anything in the 240 pages and was bored throughout. Yes it’s tagged psychological suspense, not really mystery, but there was no suspense either which just left the psychology. Delving into a deranged mind has been done many times before and much better than this in my opinion. Add to that the minimally inventive denouement which was maximally improbable and you get two stars.
Then again, I could be just a spoiled reader that ended up with an imperfect book and is now getting compensation via my review for wasted reading time. You cannot necessarily trust the narrator.
August 29, 2015
3.5 So glad that Fossum has decided to return to the Inspector Sejer series. In this one he becomes involved in the case of a drowned 15 month old boy with Down Syndrome. Although on the surface the death looks accidental, something just doesn't sit well with the mother's explanation. Enter, Carmen, the nineteen year old mother, who seems to view everything with rose colored glasses. Added to this is that in her father's eyes Carmen can do no wrong. Nicolei, the father of the boy sees things differently, he is seriously grieving.
This is a slow paced, psychological twisty novel. Is Carmen telling the truth or could a more nefarious purpose have been her intent? Good story about the secrets people hide, how those with little or no conscience can make their way through life with nary a blip. How will evidence be found, if in fact Carmen is lying? What is the truth and what is a lie, and how can we tell the difference? Very interesting case and well mixed with the private health travails of Sejer.
ARC from publisher.
This is a slow paced, psychological twisty novel. Is Carmen telling the truth or could a more nefarious purpose have been her intent? Good story about the secrets people hide, how those with little or no conscience can make their way through life with nary a blip. How will evidence be found, if in fact Carmen is lying? What is the truth and what is a lie, and how can we tell the difference? Very interesting case and well mixed with the private health travails of Sejer.
ARC from publisher.
July 13, 2015
Tommy, a 16 month old boy, is believed drowned in a pond near his home. Tommy has Down’s syndrome. His mother claims he wandered off, while she was otherwise occupied for a few minutes. But something about the story doesn’t ring true to Inspector Jacob Skarre. He calls in chief Inspector Sejer to investigate. The mother, Carmen, is cold, selfish and manipulative. Given her behaviour and attitudes to many things, I found her hard to like. But is she capable of murder or was it an unfortunate accident as she claims?
It is easier to sympathise with her husband who is open about his love for his son. His grief is real and powerful. The characters of Carmen and Nicolai her husband are well developed, as is that of Sejer and his dog Frank. The strength of Seger and Frank carry a lot of the book. Frank, who seems almost a reflection of his owner, does manage to steal a scene or two at times.
I’m not a huge fan of Scandinavian literature as it is often dark and bleak. In many ways this is no exception. This is my first book by this author and so my first about Chief Inspector Sejer. While I didn’t find it enjoyable, mainly because I didn’t like the mother character, the writing style and story are quietly compelling. I had to keep reading. Though the opening scene describing drowning is hard to read and I had some mixed feelings about different aspects of the ending, the book is definitely worth reading, .
It is easier to sympathise with her husband who is open about his love for his son. His grief is real and powerful. The characters of Carmen and Nicolai her husband are well developed, as is that of Sejer and his dog Frank. The strength of Seger and Frank carry a lot of the book. Frank, who seems almost a reflection of his owner, does manage to steal a scene or two at times.
I’m not a huge fan of Scandinavian literature as it is often dark and bleak. In many ways this is no exception. This is my first book by this author and so my first about Chief Inspector Sejer. While I didn’t find it enjoyable, mainly because I didn’t like the mother character, the writing style and story are quietly compelling. I had to keep reading. Though the opening scene describing drowning is hard to read and I had some mixed feelings about different aspects of the ending, the book is definitely worth reading, .
December 13, 2015
If you want to cling to the myth that drowning is a peaceful way to die, DO NOT read the prologue to this book. It lays out the mechanics of drowning in horrific detail.
But please, DO read this book. Just skip the prologue.
Young mother Carmen finds her Down's Syndrome toddler son Tommy floating in the pond in the back yard after having left him momentarily to go to the bathroom. Husband Nicolai was working on repairing bikes in the basement and heard nothing until Carmen's screams alerted him.
But Skarre and Sejer, the investigating detectives, feel that the case is not quite so straightforward as it seems, and that Carmen is hiding something...
This is my second Karin Fossum read, and I enjoy her more with each book.
Thank you to NetGalley,Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and Karin Fossum for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
But please, DO read this book. Just skip the prologue.
Young mother Carmen finds her Down's Syndrome toddler son Tommy floating in the pond in the back yard after having left him momentarily to go to the bathroom. Husband Nicolai was working on repairing bikes in the basement and heard nothing until Carmen's screams alerted him.
But Skarre and Sejer, the investigating detectives, feel that the case is not quite so straightforward as it seems, and that Carmen is hiding something...
This is my second Karin Fossum read, and I enjoy her more with each book.
Thank you to NetGalley,Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and Karin Fossum for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 22, 2015
3.5 Stars Okay, straight up, the drowned 16month old child has Down Syndrome (that’s not a spoiler), and I have a child with a developmental disability. There was stuff or rather, characters in The Drowned Boy that made my blood boil.
However, I still really enjoyed The Drowned Boy. Yes, Fossum has such skill that I still enjoyed reading her latest offering despite my blood boiling throughout it.
Why not a higher rating? I thought the very end was weak.
Thankyou to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review.
However, I still really enjoyed The Drowned Boy. Yes, Fossum has such skill that I still enjoyed reading her latest offering despite my blood boiling throughout it.
Why not a higher rating? I thought the very end was weak.
Thankyou to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review.
October 9, 2015
I am a bit of a sucker for reading books with children in it, either missing, kidnapped etc
This is one of them that caught my eye.
We have a young couple, young in age, married, with a child of their own.
The one thing that made me cringe each time was that their son had Down's syndrome and it was a problem for the Mom, I think it was her attitude that wanted me to slap her and appreciate the child she had.
The trouble was, he was only a little toddler and on a hot summers day the Mom left the door open, the toddler was found dead in the pool.
They were always meaning to fence it off, but they never got around to it.
But not all is what it looks to be.
The story did thrown me on and off the scent at times to whom I thought it was, and although I was correct in the end and for the reasons it was still a jaw breaking plot that left me gasping to the end.
The couple were portrayed brilliantly.
The young Mom got really on my nerves and I wanted to shout "grow up for goodness sake" but as we read on, we can see why she is like this, why she is self centered and at the end, I was questioning her sanity.
Her own Father has quite an influence on her.
Her poor husband, the heart broken lad of this dead child was so well written I wanted to put my arms around him and comfort him.
We each grieve in different ways, so I thought Mom was just "coping" the best she knew how....
I thought Dad was in bits because that was how he was grieving.
But Chief Inspector Sejer who is 'on the case' has picked up on some troubling parts of Moms story.
I would have given this 5 stars but for some repeated paragraphs in this which annoyed me, I thought I was re reading a section all over again...
Karin Fossum is a wonder author who really knows how to spin a tale.
**My thanks to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing via Net Galley for my copy **
September 23, 2015
I admire Fossum, although she is always dark in her interpretation of crime fiction. She once again pulls out her now aging Inspector Seger to investigate the death of a Down syndrome boy, Tommy.
There’s not much conflict. Mother Carmen is apparently guilty from early on of killing her two year old. Husband Nicolai is weak and ineffectual; so let’s have him commit suicide.
Throughout Carmen is too strong willed to be let go. We need to punish her for her attitude and her looks and her spirit.
Seger may be terminally ill,but he has a new dog – a Shar-Pei. Nah, he just has some of growth in his ear we can take care of with out patient surgery.
And let’s use that oldest of devices, “I have a letter." No. Let’s change that to “I’ll write my inner thoughts in a diary.” Then, let’s have the Shar-Pei find it in the closing lines of the book.
Horrible from start to finish. God! I miss Ruth Rendell.
There’s not much conflict. Mother Carmen is apparently guilty from early on of killing her two year old. Husband Nicolai is weak and ineffectual; so let’s have him commit suicide.
Throughout Carmen is too strong willed to be let go. We need to punish her for her attitude and her looks and her spirit.
Seger may be terminally ill,but he has a new dog – a Shar-Pei. Nah, he just has some of growth in his ear we can take care of with out patient surgery.
And let’s use that oldest of devices, “I have a letter." No. Let’s change that to “I’ll write my inner thoughts in a diary.” Then, let’s have the Shar-Pei find it in the closing lines of the book.
Horrible from start to finish. God! I miss Ruth Rendell.
March 25, 2018
This book was a disappointment for me as i deeply appreciate Karin Fossum's prose and choice of hard to handle subjects which often involve heinous criminal acts such as pedophilia or child abuse.This book is not an exception as Inspector Konrad Sejer is investigating a little child's -accidental or not?- death and mainly focuses on the two parents of the deceased, narrating the effects that the tragic event had on them as a couple. In my opinion, K. Fossum doesn't manage to move the reader in the way she did in many other books in the ''Konrad Sejer'' series (like ''Black Seconds'', ''When the Devil Holds the Candle'' and others) as the story is shallow and tedious, while it has one of the most ridiculous endings i've ever read in a crime novel. I would recommend to skip this one and try to read another book of the series.
December 27, 2017
Long-time admirers of the writing of Karin Fossum will know that her police procedural novels are rarely a simple matter of identifying a culprit and attributing blame. For Fossum, the psychological study of a crime and the individuals involved takes overriding precedence and matters are never definitively black and white. In a harrowing and sensitively observed eleventh outing she is in sublime form as she addresses the death of a sixteen-month-old Down syndrome toddler and portrays the repercussions for the child’s family. In a typically pared back narrative she manages to treat her subject matter with honesty and well-informed insight, yet never shirk from exploring the contentious debates and associated complexities of parenting a disabled infant.
It is an agitated Jacob Skarre who opens this novel when he contacts his partner Konrad Sejer from the scene of a drowned toddler with an ominous feeling that the death of the boy might not be the unfortunate accident that it appears. Requesting Sejer’s assistance, Skarre is concerned that something about the mother feels a little bit ‘off’ and is unsettled by her detached response. Nineteen-year-old Carmen Zita’s theatrical manner, fleeting eye contact and no shortage of tears similarly disconcerts Sejer. As a torrent of angry words and evasive answers pour forth from Carmen, her story of a naked Tommy toddling to his fate as she was busy cleaning and preparing lunch inside the house registers doubts, especially in a case devoid of witnesses. Reserved and clearly grief-stricken, Tommy’s father, twenty-year-old Nicolai Brandt was repairing bikes in the cellar and appears shell-shocked by what has transpired. However with no set formula for grieving and the bond between a mother and her child unique, is it ever fair to judge how an individual reacts to an sudden and unexpected death?
Petulant and casually flippant, the response of a naive and overindulged Carmen and her willingness to move on from the tragedy and dismantle Tommy’s cot and throw his clothes out sits uneasily with Nicolai who is shocked by her indifferent attitude. As Fossum takes readers inside the conflicted home of the two young parents and portrays their growing distance the characterisation is second to none and the reader lives and breathes every moment of the horror alongside them. As Sejer delicately gauges whether Tommy was a planned pregnancy and the response of both parents to their son’s condition, an autopsy is performed as a matter of routine and the only possible way to irrefutably establish whether there could be a more sinister interpretation to Tommy’s death. When pathologist Bardy Snorrason confirms that Tommy’s lungs contained not pond water but a mixture of soap, Carmen is quick to counter and offers a very different explanation. Asserting a history of epilepsy she cites a seizure whilst bathing Tommy and claims her resulting confusion is to blame for placing his body in the pond. Kind-hearted and earnest, Inspector Konrad Sejer is a sincere and non-judgemental investigator and treats the case with his usual integrity but Carmen’s willingness to confidently fabricate an alternative alibi concerns not only Sejer but Nicolai and her overprotective father, restaurant owner Marian Zita. As Sejer looks back on previous cases bearing similarities, he finds the conditions for extenuating circumstances open to interpretation and the beleaguered detective is concerned that even if his suspicions of the mother are grounded proving clear intent is a far harder proposition. With no conclusive proof and reliant on an assured Carmen wavering on the stand, both Sejer and Skarre are torn by the plight of a deeply depressed and inconsolable Nicolai.
This eleventh outing gives a powerful insight into a nightmare scenario for any parent and one mired in unremittingly ominous overtones. Through a timeline stretching from August to June the following year and told from multiple perspectives, The Drowned Boy takes readers uncomfortably close to a marriage under the strain of a child’s death and considers a parent’s response to a child with a disability and and an individual’s attitude to the life that remains. Contributing to the melancholy tone of this novel are Inspector Sejer’s frequent dizzy spells often accompanied by a loss of balance. At the age of fifty-five he considers his own mortality and convinced he has a serious ailment he dwells on the premature loss of his wife, Elise, at the age of forty from liver cancer. In the course of a ponderous and introspective novel it is perhaps Sejer’s own concerns with meeting his maker that keep him so determined to deliver baby Tommy the justice he deserves. Broaching such decisive areas as religion and faith, Karin Fossum stops short of proscribing answers but uses Jacob Skarre’s faith as a platform for discussion.
Whilst the premise of The Drowned Boy is straightforward, in the hands of an always candid Karin Fossum she deftly draws out the darker implications of her storyline with a considered and pragmatic eye for reality. Compelling and unsettling, The Drowned Boy held my attention fast in a state of appalled fascination and Fossum excels with a nuanced character study of all parties involved. A sedate and considered story which pulls it punches with an emotive storyline over the dynamism of more familiar police procedural novels. There are rarely any winners when it comes down to the fate of Fossum’s protagonists and this painstaking search for answers and the quagmire of unintended consequences proves so once again. Expect little in the way of action but a psychologically superior police procedural in an unstintingly morose outing for Sejer and Skarre.
It is an agitated Jacob Skarre who opens this novel when he contacts his partner Konrad Sejer from the scene of a drowned toddler with an ominous feeling that the death of the boy might not be the unfortunate accident that it appears. Requesting Sejer’s assistance, Skarre is concerned that something about the mother feels a little bit ‘off’ and is unsettled by her detached response. Nineteen-year-old Carmen Zita’s theatrical manner, fleeting eye contact and no shortage of tears similarly disconcerts Sejer. As a torrent of angry words and evasive answers pour forth from Carmen, her story of a naked Tommy toddling to his fate as she was busy cleaning and preparing lunch inside the house registers doubts, especially in a case devoid of witnesses. Reserved and clearly grief-stricken, Tommy’s father, twenty-year-old Nicolai Brandt was repairing bikes in the cellar and appears shell-shocked by what has transpired. However with no set formula for grieving and the bond between a mother and her child unique, is it ever fair to judge how an individual reacts to an sudden and unexpected death?
Petulant and casually flippant, the response of a naive and overindulged Carmen and her willingness to move on from the tragedy and dismantle Tommy’s cot and throw his clothes out sits uneasily with Nicolai who is shocked by her indifferent attitude. As Fossum takes readers inside the conflicted home of the two young parents and portrays their growing distance the characterisation is second to none and the reader lives and breathes every moment of the horror alongside them. As Sejer delicately gauges whether Tommy was a planned pregnancy and the response of both parents to their son’s condition, an autopsy is performed as a matter of routine and the only possible way to irrefutably establish whether there could be a more sinister interpretation to Tommy’s death. When pathologist Bardy Snorrason confirms that Tommy’s lungs contained not pond water but a mixture of soap, Carmen is quick to counter and offers a very different explanation. Asserting a history of epilepsy she cites a seizure whilst bathing Tommy and claims her resulting confusion is to blame for placing his body in the pond. Kind-hearted and earnest, Inspector Konrad Sejer is a sincere and non-judgemental investigator and treats the case with his usual integrity but Carmen’s willingness to confidently fabricate an alternative alibi concerns not only Sejer but Nicolai and her overprotective father, restaurant owner Marian Zita. As Sejer looks back on previous cases bearing similarities, he finds the conditions for extenuating circumstances open to interpretation and the beleaguered detective is concerned that even if his suspicions of the mother are grounded proving clear intent is a far harder proposition. With no conclusive proof and reliant on an assured Carmen wavering on the stand, both Sejer and Skarre are torn by the plight of a deeply depressed and inconsolable Nicolai.
This eleventh outing gives a powerful insight into a nightmare scenario for any parent and one mired in unremittingly ominous overtones. Through a timeline stretching from August to June the following year and told from multiple perspectives, The Drowned Boy takes readers uncomfortably close to a marriage under the strain of a child’s death and considers a parent’s response to a child with a disability and and an individual’s attitude to the life that remains. Contributing to the melancholy tone of this novel are Inspector Sejer’s frequent dizzy spells often accompanied by a loss of balance. At the age of fifty-five he considers his own mortality and convinced he has a serious ailment he dwells on the premature loss of his wife, Elise, at the age of forty from liver cancer. In the course of a ponderous and introspective novel it is perhaps Sejer’s own concerns with meeting his maker that keep him so determined to deliver baby Tommy the justice he deserves. Broaching such decisive areas as religion and faith, Karin Fossum stops short of proscribing answers but uses Jacob Skarre’s faith as a platform for discussion.
Whilst the premise of The Drowned Boy is straightforward, in the hands of an always candid Karin Fossum she deftly draws out the darker implications of her storyline with a considered and pragmatic eye for reality. Compelling and unsettling, The Drowned Boy held my attention fast in a state of appalled fascination and Fossum excels with a nuanced character study of all parties involved. A sedate and considered story which pulls it punches with an emotive storyline over the dynamism of more familiar police procedural novels. There are rarely any winners when it comes down to the fate of Fossum’s protagonists and this painstaking search for answers and the quagmire of unintended consequences proves so once again. Expect little in the way of action but a psychologically superior police procedural in an unstintingly morose outing for Sejer and Skarre.
June 1, 2015
The Drowned Boy – Stylish Nordic Noir
Karin Fossum is back with her 11th book in the Inspector Sejer Novel and it is once again easy to see why she is regarded as the Norwegian ‘Queen of Crime’. The Drowned Boy is another vintage Fossum creation; this book is a really compelling read, where nothing is lost in translation. Once again Karin Fossum gives us a tightly written, very compelling carefully crafted plot.
For those who have never read the Inspector Sejer series need to understand that this is not a blood and gore crime story. This is a well thought-out intellectual detective who works the evidence and to solve the crime requires an element of luck. This is an old fashioned styled whodunit, it may seem pedestrian to some but this is an engaging and engrossing read.
Sejer reminds me of Poirot in that he is very calm, a hypochondriac at times, intelligent, kind hearted and very thoughtful. Unlike a lot of modern detective series he does not require brawn, guns or threats; he treats everyone with respect no matter who they are. At times Frank his dog is a scene stealer and even a calming affect up on the reader.
On a hot Wednesday in August Sejer is called out to a suspected drowning in Damtjern of a young child, usually his team could handle this without him but his assistant Jacob Skarre has a feeling that something does not seem right. When he arrives the child is layout on a tarpaulin, naked and dead. The child called Tommy looks fit for his age and he could see that he had ‘Down’s syndrome’ and he begins to wonder how he has managed to get to the pond on his own.
Tommy’s parents are young, the mother Carmen is only 19 and a waif, while his father Nicolai is 20 and both seem confused. The story they tell the police is identical but their reactions are different Nicolai is heartbroken, confused and lost while Carmen seems to be crying on demand. But they are sticking to their story.
Sejer knows that something is amiss and that all he wants to do is find justice for Tommy but he also realises that sometimes justice does not happen for the victim. He recognises that people handle grief in many different ways but Nicolai and Carmen are chalk and cheese especially in the way that they are handling Tommy’s death.
Karin Fossum has once again dug deep in to the human psyche and gives us some very interesting characters. We also seem an examination of a dominant personality on to someone who is not as strong and this dominance screams at you throughout the book and at times comes across as arrogant.
Does Tommy get justice? You will have to read to find out. One thing that does strike you is that Sejer and Frank really are the mirror image of each other!
Karin Fossum is back with her 11th book in the Inspector Sejer Novel and it is once again easy to see why she is regarded as the Norwegian ‘Queen of Crime’. The Drowned Boy is another vintage Fossum creation; this book is a really compelling read, where nothing is lost in translation. Once again Karin Fossum gives us a tightly written, very compelling carefully crafted plot.
For those who have never read the Inspector Sejer series need to understand that this is not a blood and gore crime story. This is a well thought-out intellectual detective who works the evidence and to solve the crime requires an element of luck. This is an old fashioned styled whodunit, it may seem pedestrian to some but this is an engaging and engrossing read.
Sejer reminds me of Poirot in that he is very calm, a hypochondriac at times, intelligent, kind hearted and very thoughtful. Unlike a lot of modern detective series he does not require brawn, guns or threats; he treats everyone with respect no matter who they are. At times Frank his dog is a scene stealer and even a calming affect up on the reader.
On a hot Wednesday in August Sejer is called out to a suspected drowning in Damtjern of a young child, usually his team could handle this without him but his assistant Jacob Skarre has a feeling that something does not seem right. When he arrives the child is layout on a tarpaulin, naked and dead. The child called Tommy looks fit for his age and he could see that he had ‘Down’s syndrome’ and he begins to wonder how he has managed to get to the pond on his own.
Tommy’s parents are young, the mother Carmen is only 19 and a waif, while his father Nicolai is 20 and both seem confused. The story they tell the police is identical but their reactions are different Nicolai is heartbroken, confused and lost while Carmen seems to be crying on demand. But they are sticking to their story.
Sejer knows that something is amiss and that all he wants to do is find justice for Tommy but he also realises that sometimes justice does not happen for the victim. He recognises that people handle grief in many different ways but Nicolai and Carmen are chalk and cheese especially in the way that they are handling Tommy’s death.
Karin Fossum has once again dug deep in to the human psyche and gives us some very interesting characters. We also seem an examination of a dominant personality on to someone who is not as strong and this dominance screams at you throughout the book and at times comes across as arrogant.
Does Tommy get justice? You will have to read to find out. One thing that does strike you is that Sejer and Frank really are the mirror image of each other!
January 6, 2016
Finally i have found a Scandinavian author that got my attention.
The Drowning Boy By Karin Fossum was a very quick read which kept me turning the pages the story was well written with likable characters will read more of this author
The Drowning Boy By Karin Fossum was a very quick read which kept me turning the pages the story was well written with likable characters will read more of this author
September 19, 2015
The Drowned Boy, number 11 in the Inspector Sejer Series, reminded me why Karin Fossum is one of my top 10 favorite authors. Fossum is a true psychological thriller/suspense writer focusing more on characterization and atmosphere than any other literary device. Her writing style and plots are uncluttered and are clearly intended to help the reader understand why the perpetrator acts the way he/she does.
This is a long running series; however, Fossum does not focus mainly on Inspector Sejer in any of these novels, but on the perpetrator/criminal so each book is very different and could be read as a stand alone. Inspector Sejer is decent, thoughtful and treats both victim and criminal with respect separating him from many other serial detectives. These are not fast paced gory thrillers, but clear, intense and often dark psychological suspense stories that you don't forget once you finish the book.
As with all of the Inspector Sejer books, I only had to read a few pages of The Drowned Boy before I was totally drawn in and developing an intense dislike for one of the characters. The book was tragic, moving and although I absolutely could not relate to what the perpetrator did, I did understand how and why it happened; Karin Fossum made sure of that.
This is a long running series; however, Fossum does not focus mainly on Inspector Sejer in any of these novels, but on the perpetrator/criminal so each book is very different and could be read as a stand alone. Inspector Sejer is decent, thoughtful and treats both victim and criminal with respect separating him from many other serial detectives. These are not fast paced gory thrillers, but clear, intense and often dark psychological suspense stories that you don't forget once you finish the book.
As with all of the Inspector Sejer books, I only had to read a few pages of The Drowned Boy before I was totally drawn in and developing an intense dislike for one of the characters. The book was tragic, moving and although I absolutely could not relate to what the perpetrator did, I did understand how and why it happened; Karin Fossum made sure of that.
July 26, 2015
I normally enjoy Karin Fossum's writing but struggled with this book. I thought it was tediously repetitive and the ending was ridiculous.
January 23, 2023
The Beautiful Own the World ...
Sixteen month old Tommy is found drown.
He had Down Syndrome
Mother and father are very young...
....and there's a suspicion......
Sixteen month old Tommy is found drown.
He had Down Syndrome
Mother and father are very young...
....and there's a suspicion......
June 17, 2015
The 11th Inspector Sejer novel from Karin Fossum, specialising again in the why of a crime. Why in this instance is a series of very big questions. Why did a young toddler end up dead in a pond near his house? Why did nobody think that secure fencing would be necessary for any child that age so close to water? Why is it particularly noteworthy that Tommy is a healthy boy, who happens to have Down's Syndrome? Why is his mother behaving so weirdly, and more to the point is she a spoilt princess or a bit odd? Why do Sejer and Skarre think there's something odd about this death and what can they do about that suspicion with very little evidence?
Fossum often tackles difficult subjects and this is not the first time she's put characters with Down's Syndrome in the forefront of consideration. Whilst she uses this as a way of exploring reactions and expectations it's not disrespectful, opportunistic or uninformed, but it is pointed and thought-provoking. Even more chillingly in THE DROWNED BOY as the parents of young Tommy, Carmen and Nicolai, are very young. The reader is left wondering if they are too young to be parents at all, let alone to a disabled child, or has age less to do with it than just being dysfunctional people. Certainly Carmen seems way too narcissistic to possibly care for anybody but herself. Nicolai on the other hand seems brittle, young, overwhelmed and despite trying to parent, ineffectual and ephemeral.
In contrast to this young couple, and her rather controlling, domineering father, Sejer is the epitome of calm, kind and thoughtful. Struggling with the need to address a health condition of his own, there's something about the reactions to Tommy's death that worries him from the start. In his normal manner he doesn't take those concerns up front to the possible suspects, instead gently digs away, prodding and searching for an explanation.
Readers who are passionately addicted to investigation and closure in their crime fiction may find Fossum's books tough reading. Because they look deep into the human psyche, they aren't about the how or even necessarily the who, although the truth is eventually revealed, as are some further shocks and sad outcomes. Not that the reveal is necessarily because of just good investigative techniques, but rather the way that people react to pressure and the spotlight.
Why would a young Down's Syndrome boy drown, naked in a pond near his home on a hot summer's day and how will his short life and that death affect those around him? There's no question that anybody is going to get away with anything in THE DROWNED BOY, but the why remains the focus, and all the more heart-rendering as a result.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
Fossum often tackles difficult subjects and this is not the first time she's put characters with Down's Syndrome in the forefront of consideration. Whilst she uses this as a way of exploring reactions and expectations it's not disrespectful, opportunistic or uninformed, but it is pointed and thought-provoking. Even more chillingly in THE DROWNED BOY as the parents of young Tommy, Carmen and Nicolai, are very young. The reader is left wondering if they are too young to be parents at all, let alone to a disabled child, or has age less to do with it than just being dysfunctional people. Certainly Carmen seems way too narcissistic to possibly care for anybody but herself. Nicolai on the other hand seems brittle, young, overwhelmed and despite trying to parent, ineffectual and ephemeral.
In contrast to this young couple, and her rather controlling, domineering father, Sejer is the epitome of calm, kind and thoughtful. Struggling with the need to address a health condition of his own, there's something about the reactions to Tommy's death that worries him from the start. In his normal manner he doesn't take those concerns up front to the possible suspects, instead gently digs away, prodding and searching for an explanation.
Readers who are passionately addicted to investigation and closure in their crime fiction may find Fossum's books tough reading. Because they look deep into the human psyche, they aren't about the how or even necessarily the who, although the truth is eventually revealed, as are some further shocks and sad outcomes. Not that the reveal is necessarily because of just good investigative techniques, but rather the way that people react to pressure and the spotlight.
Why would a young Down's Syndrome boy drown, naked in a pond near his home on a hot summer's day and how will his short life and that death affect those around him? There's no question that anybody is going to get away with anything in THE DROWNED BOY, but the why remains the focus, and all the more heart-rendering as a result.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
July 21, 2015
Received this book of Net Galley in exchange for a honest review. This is the first book I have read by this author and I found her writing style very easy to read and the characters well described and believable.
The story is very dark and focuses on some very difficult and thought provoking subjects such as the death of children and Down syndrome.
There was not a lot of action in this book and given the storyline I couldn't understand what was making me want to read more but that's exactly how I felt. I picked the book up at every available moment and was drawn in by the writing style and by wanting to know the outcome. I intend to read more of this authors work in the future and although this book was part of a series I did not feel I missed out at all from not reading previous books.
The book was certainly a good read and I was close to giving it a 4 star rating.
The story is very dark and focuses on some very difficult and thought provoking subjects such as the death of children and Down syndrome.
There was not a lot of action in this book and given the storyline I couldn't understand what was making me want to read more but that's exactly how I felt. I picked the book up at every available moment and was drawn in by the writing style and by wanting to know the outcome. I intend to read more of this authors work in the future and although this book was part of a series I did not feel I missed out at all from not reading previous books.
The book was certainly a good read and I was close to giving it a 4 star rating.
October 23, 2015
Conversations were awkward and unemotional; details were given that seemed important, and that they might lead somewhere, only to fall flat, mean nothing, and be completely irrelevant; no ending (why even put so much time and detail into a story without giving it a conclusion...I mean, sure, we are to assume that the coincidence of all coincidences happened, but really? You can't have your main character do something more than stumble across pure dumb luck?) Pretty disappointing.
July 17, 2015
Norwegian author Karin Fossum has written another captivating mystery, and, as usual, she explores the human side of suspects just as much as the procedural one. Fossum, who was a poet before a mystery writer, suffuses the tragic story with fertile images and paces her stories with a pulse that keeps the pages turning. Word of caution: the jacket summary reveals crucial plot points that occur at the midpoint of the story. Don’t read it if you don’t want major spoilers.
The series’ regular inspectors, Konrad Sejer and Jakob Skarre, are investigating the drowning of a sixteen-month-old baby boy born with Down’s Syndrome. Babies born with Down’s have physical and cognitive delays, and will need adult supervision (variable) for the rest of their lives. Tommy’s parents, Carmen and Nicolai, are only nineteen and twenty, respectively. Carmen never had the prenatal screening that would have detected this chromosomal disorder, so they were ill-prepared for the news at birth. However, they received loving support from Carmen’s parents, and didn’t have to face the demands alone.
Tommy’s body was retrieved by Carmen in a pond fifty meters from the house. She called EMS, but resuscitation efforts failed. There was no fence or other barricade to thwart easy access to the pond from the house, and in the heat of Oslo’s exceptionally hot summer, Carmen had kept the door open, and left Tommy’s sight for a few minutes to go to the bathroom. In a flood of hysterical tears, the young mother admitted that she was guilty of taking her eyes off Tommy momentarily, and failed to consider that he might wander outside to the jetty and fall into the pond. Nicolai had reportedly been in the basement, repairing a bike.
THE DROWNED BOY, as usual in a Fossim book, is more than a mystery. It is a study in human behavior, and how people cope with grief and loss. Her witnesses, even when unlikable, are sympathetic and complex. The key suspect here is Carmen, whose story is plausible, but there’s something in her demeanor and her “artificial” waterworks that give the inspectors pause. Along the way, the author candidly discusses the challenge of raising a special needs child. The narrative also considers the moral controversy of terminating a pregnancy if you know in advance that your baby has Down’s. The topic is handled delicately and honestly, without authorial intrusion.
The principle mystery for the police to solve is whether Carmen, or Carmen and Nicolai, purposely drowned their boy. It isn't easy to disprove a plea of innocence when there are no other witnesses, so it is paramount for Sejer and Skarre to examine every detail and look for inconsistencies. The autopsy results provide answers, but also provoke more questions.
Carmen is strong-willed and determined, ready to move on to the future. Nicolai, however, is buried in grief. Their marriage is faltering, as they cannot understand each other's mourning. There's enough guilt to go around about not erecting a fence (the grandfather thought there was plenty of time), but the reader feels an undercurrent of panic and a murmur of secrets.
Sejer's grief for his dead wife, and his new worry about recent dizzy spells, parallels and intensifies the theme of loss, and the dread of the unknown. The last page is chilling, and in the hands of a lesser author, would come off as contrived. But Fossim’s talent rekindled my imagination, even as I reached the end.
The series’ regular inspectors, Konrad Sejer and Jakob Skarre, are investigating the drowning of a sixteen-month-old baby boy born with Down’s Syndrome. Babies born with Down’s have physical and cognitive delays, and will need adult supervision (variable) for the rest of their lives. Tommy’s parents, Carmen and Nicolai, are only nineteen and twenty, respectively. Carmen never had the prenatal screening that would have detected this chromosomal disorder, so they were ill-prepared for the news at birth. However, they received loving support from Carmen’s parents, and didn’t have to face the demands alone.
Tommy’s body was retrieved by Carmen in a pond fifty meters from the house. She called EMS, but resuscitation efforts failed. There was no fence or other barricade to thwart easy access to the pond from the house, and in the heat of Oslo’s exceptionally hot summer, Carmen had kept the door open, and left Tommy’s sight for a few minutes to go to the bathroom. In a flood of hysterical tears, the young mother admitted that she was guilty of taking her eyes off Tommy momentarily, and failed to consider that he might wander outside to the jetty and fall into the pond. Nicolai had reportedly been in the basement, repairing a bike.
THE DROWNED BOY, as usual in a Fossim book, is more than a mystery. It is a study in human behavior, and how people cope with grief and loss. Her witnesses, even when unlikable, are sympathetic and complex. The key suspect here is Carmen, whose story is plausible, but there’s something in her demeanor and her “artificial” waterworks that give the inspectors pause. Along the way, the author candidly discusses the challenge of raising a special needs child. The narrative also considers the moral controversy of terminating a pregnancy if you know in advance that your baby has Down’s. The topic is handled delicately and honestly, without authorial intrusion.
The principle mystery for the police to solve is whether Carmen, or Carmen and Nicolai, purposely drowned their boy. It isn't easy to disprove a plea of innocence when there are no other witnesses, so it is paramount for Sejer and Skarre to examine every detail and look for inconsistencies. The autopsy results provide answers, but also provoke more questions.
Carmen is strong-willed and determined, ready to move on to the future. Nicolai, however, is buried in grief. Their marriage is faltering, as they cannot understand each other's mourning. There's enough guilt to go around about not erecting a fence (the grandfather thought there was plenty of time), but the reader feels an undercurrent of panic and a murmur of secrets.
Sejer's grief for his dead wife, and his new worry about recent dizzy spells, parallels and intensifies the theme of loss, and the dread of the unknown. The last page is chilling, and in the hands of a lesser author, would come off as contrived. But Fossim’s talent rekindled my imagination, even as I reached the end.
May 25, 2019
2.5 stars rounded up for the quick, clear read. But as another GR reader posted in her review- this also was my least favorite Sejer so far. It's Sejer novel #11. Getting to #11 before I got to any which I had to consider giving a 2 star! That's fairly well said for this series.
This entire copy, every portion just felt different than any of the others. Not only in mood but in flow. This one goes into diary reads in portions, and doesn't roll evenly either. It started flat and went flatter for me as it progressed. Sejer decided guilt from a "feeling" hunch early too. Something homicide detectives I know well NEVER do. Or at least they won't admit that ever do. It's almost as if Karin Fossum was positing a question and choice treatise for the cognition of being a parent to a different/ special needs child. And how it is to resolve acceptance for "difference" or refuse to accept it because it wasn't what you "picked". And whatever outcomes of answers that has become enabled and evident during the last decade? Particularly the outcomes in the Nordic nations which are deemed highly acceptable; even to the straight out refusal to accept anything but perfection. And this concerns the parental position of a child with Down Syndrome condition in particular. Using this Carmen characterization in the way she did? I feel it was sort of a cop out in that the author framed her as so young and rather amoral to values in general. Also in how she (Fossum)"completed" this Sejer case. Both. You never really "get" what her (Carmen's) real life consequence is for the act either within Norway's court judgments. You might guess, but you truly don't know for sure any quantity of consequence (prison?) which occurs. I can't remember that ever happening at all in any other Sejer. Or leaving the feeling of/for a murderer being so ambivalent from Sejer and from the other police / people. Even the boss of dire aspect who is retiring now seems beyond the case completion/ summation. And man was he in bad shape for being 55 years old. Did the author want to get rid of him some way? Make Sejer boss?
Ironically, something I just read not a month ago in the very non-fiction world medical reports/ newspapers is the core to this particular novel. It was about Sweden and Iceland- not Norway, but the gist was nearly identical about the posit of "choice" to parent a Down Syndrome human. Most testing being done has eliminated the condition, as if it were a "disease". Iceland brags it now has only 2 Down Syndrome children born in the last few 4 or 5 years. In the entire country, all the 1 out 700 (occurrence for Down Syndrome) have been aborted.
Depressing, depressing book. My enjoyment of it was 2 star. The ending was ridiculous. Maybe I should have given it a 2 star instead. Despite the dog.
I don't believe Sejer would ever be that obtuse over the dizziness either. I think this novel was written to state some kind of equation to thinking about the burden of raising a special needs child. And how that can be avoided.
This entire copy, every portion just felt different than any of the others. Not only in mood but in flow. This one goes into diary reads in portions, and doesn't roll evenly either. It started flat and went flatter for me as it progressed. Sejer decided guilt from a "feeling" hunch early too. Something homicide detectives I know well NEVER do. Or at least they won't admit that ever do. It's almost as if Karin Fossum was positing a question and choice treatise for the cognition of being a parent to a different/ special needs child. And how it is to resolve acceptance for "difference" or refuse to accept it because it wasn't what you "picked". And whatever outcomes of answers that has become enabled and evident during the last decade? Particularly the outcomes in the Nordic nations which are deemed highly acceptable; even to the straight out refusal to accept anything but perfection. And this concerns the parental position of a child with Down Syndrome condition in particular. Using this Carmen characterization in the way she did? I feel it was sort of a cop out in that the author framed her as so young and rather amoral to values in general. Also in how she (Fossum)"completed" this Sejer case. Both. You never really "get" what her (Carmen's) real life consequence is for the act either within Norway's court judgments. You might guess, but you truly don't know for sure any quantity of consequence (prison?) which occurs. I can't remember that ever happening at all in any other Sejer. Or leaving the feeling of/for a murderer being so ambivalent from Sejer and from the other police / people. Even the boss of dire aspect who is retiring now seems beyond the case completion/ summation. And man was he in bad shape for being 55 years old. Did the author want to get rid of him some way? Make Sejer boss?
Ironically, something I just read not a month ago in the very non-fiction world medical reports/ newspapers is the core to this particular novel. It was about Sweden and Iceland- not Norway, but the gist was nearly identical about the posit of "choice" to parent a Down Syndrome human. Most testing being done has eliminated the condition, as if it were a "disease". Iceland brags it now has only 2 Down Syndrome children born in the last few 4 or 5 years. In the entire country, all the 1 out 700 (occurrence for Down Syndrome) have been aborted.
Depressing, depressing book. My enjoyment of it was 2 star. The ending was ridiculous. Maybe I should have given it a 2 star instead. Despite the dog.
I don't believe Sejer would ever be that obtuse over the dizziness either. I think this novel was written to state some kind of equation to thinking about the burden of raising a special needs child. And how that can be avoided.
December 5, 2015
I absolutely adore this series, I have read every one and, with the exception of the Indian. Bride, I have loved them all. I was over the moon to see a new Inspector Sejer book in the library. And horribly disappointed once I read it.
First off, the translation was not nearly as good as usual. The phrasing was stilted and awkward in places, and since that has absolutely never been a problem with Fossum's writing, I know the translator must be to blame.
That aside, the story had potential but did not live up to it. The beauty of Inspector Sejer is his keen people skills and his solving crimes through intuition and sharp observation. The way this crime was supposedly solved was completely unbelievable coincidence, not to mention that we don't know if the crime actually was solved or the criminal convicted, seeing as how the book ends before any of those things could happen. I found this book utterly maddening & can only hope the next one returns to form.
First off, the translation was not nearly as good as usual. The phrasing was stilted and awkward in places, and since that has absolutely never been a problem with Fossum's writing, I know the translator must be to blame.
That aside, the story had potential but did not live up to it. The beauty of Inspector Sejer is his keen people skills and his solving crimes through intuition and sharp observation. The way this crime was supposedly solved was completely unbelievable coincidence, not to mention that we don't know if the crime actually was solved or the criminal convicted, seeing as how the book ends before any of those things could happen. I found this book utterly maddening & can only hope the next one returns to form.
May 13, 2018
This is my first Karin Fossum novel that I have read. I wanted to read The Drowned Boy as I wondered how the author could make her novel about drowning different from the other novels.
I love the twist that Karin added with the 16 month old boy who had Down's Syndrome was found drowned in a pond. It is very rare that any author adds a child with Down's Syndrome.
My friend's sister had a beautiful baby girl with Down's Syndrome who had long eye lashes, but sadly died before she one.
And my daughter's friend's brother has Down's Syndrome who loves living the life to full singing and dancing.
Well done to Karin Fossum who is a truly great writer and explorer of the human mind. All the characters is marked by an intelligence and compassion. A great crime novelist.
I love the twist that Karin added with the 16 month old boy who had Down's Syndrome was found drowned in a pond. It is very rare that any author adds a child with Down's Syndrome.
My friend's sister had a beautiful baby girl with Down's Syndrome who had long eye lashes, but sadly died before she one.
And my daughter's friend's brother has Down's Syndrome who loves living the life to full singing and dancing.
Well done to Karin Fossum who is a truly great writer and explorer of the human mind. All the characters is marked by an intelligence and compassion. A great crime novelist.
July 28, 2017
το δεύτερο βιβλίο της φοσουμ που διαβάζω και είναι κι αυτό εξαιρετικό... μέσα σε πολύ μικρό όγκο έχει πιάσει για θέματα... σύνδρομο ντάουν, κακομαθημένο παιδί... επιληψία... μικρούς χώρους με λίγους πρωταγωνιστές... και τότε χειρίζεται τέλεια... δεν θέλω να δώσω στοιχεία για την υπόθεση για να το πιάσετε όπως εσείς νομίζετε... πάντως οι γονείς θα πρέπει να προβληματιστούμε... σε πολλά επίπεδα...
October 13, 2017
Chilling, but I liked the dogs "treasure" at the end. Do 19 and 20 year old people really think and talk like this or is it the translation? I read this in ebook format. I did not listen to the audio version.
June 8, 2015
I would like to thank Random House, Vintage Publishing and NetGalley for approving my request to read this book in exchange of an honest review.
A tragedy... A terrible accident... Every parent's worst nightmare.
Tommy, a sixteen-month-old boy is left unattended at home for just a few minutes while his mother is doing house chores in another room. He is then nowhere to be found. After a frenetic search, his mother Carmen, is horrified to find him face down in the pond at the back of their house. By the time paramedics arrive, it is too late. The boy is dead, he has drowned.
Detective Sejer is called to the scene. Ever the suspicious, his gut tells him that this might not simply be an open and shut case of accidental death. Why is the boy naked? Why does the mother seem so detached from the tragedy? Why is the father so quiet? Is it shock? Different people grief differently... maybe that's the reason. The parents' separate accounts of events are very plausible and the evidence at home tallies with their story. So why does Sejer have this niggling doubt at the back of his mind? Or is it his imagination taking over?
The author skilfully takes us inside the psyche of the characters, namely the mother, the father and Sejer himself. I found myself wanting to slap a certain character hard on numerous occasions and there was another for whom I felt deep sadness and empathy.
The bleak, dark atmosphere of this book kept me quite intrigued till the end. The plot is rather thin with very few characters involved, making it an easy, fast read. However, I was not very happy or convinced by the ending. I felt it was a little far-fetched and was expecting something much more satisfying. This doesn't mean that it's not a good book and I will surely read other books by this notorious author.
A tragedy... A terrible accident... Every parent's worst nightmare.
Tommy, a sixteen-month-old boy is left unattended at home for just a few minutes while his mother is doing house chores in another room. He is then nowhere to be found. After a frenetic search, his mother Carmen, is horrified to find him face down in the pond at the back of their house. By the time paramedics arrive, it is too late. The boy is dead, he has drowned.
Detective Sejer is called to the scene. Ever the suspicious, his gut tells him that this might not simply be an open and shut case of accidental death. Why is the boy naked? Why does the mother seem so detached from the tragedy? Why is the father so quiet? Is it shock? Different people grief differently... maybe that's the reason. The parents' separate accounts of events are very plausible and the evidence at home tallies with their story. So why does Sejer have this niggling doubt at the back of his mind? Or is it his imagination taking over?
The author skilfully takes us inside the psyche of the characters, namely the mother, the father and Sejer himself. I found myself wanting to slap a certain character hard on numerous occasions and there was another for whom I felt deep sadness and empathy.
The bleak, dark atmosphere of this book kept me quite intrigued till the end. The plot is rather thin with very few characters involved, making it an easy, fast read. However, I was not very happy or convinced by the ending. I felt it was a little far-fetched and was expecting something much more satisfying. This doesn't mean that it's not a good book and I will surely read other books by this notorious author.
April 27, 2021
I have never never read Karin Dickson before I am loving her books
August 27, 2015
I am a big fan of Inspector Sejer's. As usual, Fossum takes her time telling the story. She doesn't need guns, bombs or serial killers to write an engrossing plot, just ordinary humans in horrific circumstances. It was nice to see some known faces, like Irene or Skarre, even if Frank the dog is more of Sejer's partner on this one. I thought that the story was going to end in a very dissatisfying way, but then a final twist made it all better. I hope there are many more stories to come.
January 4, 2016
This is my first, and probably my last, by this author. None of the characters were very engaging and the ending was too gimmicky. I am readings lots of Scandinavian crime novels/noir so I thought I would give Fossum/Sejer a try.
P.S. This book is so bad that I forgot I read it entirely. I thought I quit it early on but, no, I read all of it.
P.S. This book is so bad that I forgot I read it entirely. I thought I quit it early on but, no, I read all of it.
September 20, 2016
Thrilling and poignant, loved this book.
March 26, 2017
"There's a lot you don't know."
I do have "a thing" for Karin Fossum's prose and have rated several of her novels with five stars. I love that she writes about everyday matters and captures the extraordinary meanings of completely ordinary, everyday events. She teaches us the truth and beauty of little things using narration closer to a whisper than to a scream. She is a serious mystery writer who has not yet succumbed to the allure of commercialism. While The Drowned Boy is certainly not Ms. Fossum's best book I still like it a lot.
Inspector Sejer is called by Jacob Skarre to the scene of an accident. Carmen, a very young mother, found her sixteen-month-old boy drowned in a pond. Despite Carmen's and her young husband's lifesaving efforts the boy dies. Neither Skarre nor Sejer are certain what exactly happened as Carmen's version of the accident does not quite ring true. Yet it is not the mystery of the boy's death that provides the main narrative axis of the plot, but the moral and ethical questions raised by Ms. Fossum. When making momentous decisions should we follow our moral standards or are obligations to other people more important? And an even tougher question: when a honestly reasoned decision happens to be the most convenient one, is it still OK to follow it?
I'd rather Ms. Fossum did not solve the mystery of what happened to the boy; the resolution is based on an awkward literary device - a diary that is way too erudite considering its author. On the other hand I like the in-your-face artifice of the denouement: the author makes it patently clear that there should not be a solution and one is provided only because it is expected by readers. This is one of the main reasons I love Ms. Fossum's novels: she does not really care about the "story" - she cares about her characters instead. Another major reason of my attraction is that Ms. Fossum never judges her characters but tries to understand them instead.
This is not a book for younger readers (meaning below 40, 50 or 60, whatever one's definition of "young" is). For instance, Inspector Sejer suffers bouts of dizziness and, of course, worries about brain tumor. This provides a lighter counterpoint to the serious main thread, but to me, a true geezer, it is clear that the author is one of us, the 60+ crowd, who have "been there, done that."
I have a problem with the translation by Kari Dickson (she did not translate any of the other novels by Ms. Fossum that I have read). The sentences, especially the dialogues sometimes sound unnatural and the prose does not sound right. For instance, someone roughly estimates the distance to be 165 feet. Yes, 50 meters is 165 feet, but no one would use such an exact number in a conversation.
Flawed yet wonderful read.
Three and three quarter stars.
I do have "a thing" for Karin Fossum's prose and have rated several of her novels with five stars. I love that she writes about everyday matters and captures the extraordinary meanings of completely ordinary, everyday events. She teaches us the truth and beauty of little things using narration closer to a whisper than to a scream. She is a serious mystery writer who has not yet succumbed to the allure of commercialism. While The Drowned Boy is certainly not Ms. Fossum's best book I still like it a lot.
Inspector Sejer is called by Jacob Skarre to the scene of an accident. Carmen, a very young mother, found her sixteen-month-old boy drowned in a pond. Despite Carmen's and her young husband's lifesaving efforts the boy dies. Neither Skarre nor Sejer are certain what exactly happened as Carmen's version of the accident does not quite ring true. Yet it is not the mystery of the boy's death that provides the main narrative axis of the plot, but the moral and ethical questions raised by Ms. Fossum. When making momentous decisions should we follow our moral standards or are obligations to other people more important? And an even tougher question: when a honestly reasoned decision happens to be the most convenient one, is it still OK to follow it?
I'd rather Ms. Fossum did not solve the mystery of what happened to the boy; the resolution is based on an awkward literary device - a diary that is way too erudite considering its author. On the other hand I like the in-your-face artifice of the denouement: the author makes it patently clear that there should not be a solution and one is provided only because it is expected by readers. This is one of the main reasons I love Ms. Fossum's novels: she does not really care about the "story" - she cares about her characters instead. Another major reason of my attraction is that Ms. Fossum never judges her characters but tries to understand them instead.
This is not a book for younger readers (meaning below 40, 50 or 60, whatever one's definition of "young" is). For instance, Inspector Sejer suffers bouts of dizziness and, of course, worries about brain tumor. This provides a lighter counterpoint to the serious main thread, but to me, a true geezer, it is clear that the author is one of us, the 60+ crowd, who have "been there, done that."
I have a problem with the translation by Kari Dickson (she did not translate any of the other novels by Ms. Fossum that I have read). The sentences, especially the dialogues sometimes sound unnatural and the prose does not sound right. For instance, someone roughly estimates the distance to be 165 feet. Yes, 50 meters is 165 feet, but no one would use such an exact number in a conversation.
Flawed yet wonderful read.
Three and three quarter stars.
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