Skumtimmen

The Öland Series #1

by Johan Theorin

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En dimmig sensommardag i början av sjuttiotalet på norra Öland försvinner en liten pojke utan några som helst spår. I dagar letar familjen, polisen och frivilliga efter honom. Tjugo år senare får pojkens mor Julia ett oväntat telefonsamtal från sin far, den åldrige sjökaptenen Gerlof Davidsson. Han ber henne komma till Öland för att hjälpa honom med efterforskningar kring dottersonens försvinnande.

Julia återvänder till sin barndomsö och tillsammans börjar de söka i det förflutna. Först nu får hon höra talas om en mytomspunnen ölänning, Nils Kant, som en gång satte skräck i en hel bygd. Han är död och begraven sedan länge, långt innan Julias pojke försvann. Ändå sägs han ibland vandra på det öländska alvaret i skymningen. I skumtimmen.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Thriller, Sweden, Scandinavian Literature, Mystery Thriller

422 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Throughout his life, Johan Theorin has been a regular visitor to the Baltic island of Öland. His mother’s family – sailors, fishermen and farmers - have lived there for centuries, nurturing the island’s rich legacy of strange tales and folklore. A journalist by profession, Johan now lives in Gothenburg.

Echoes from the Dead (originally published in Sweden as Skumtimmen) is Johan’s first novel. In 2007 it was voted Best First Mystery Novel by the authors and critics of the Swedish Academy of Crime, and it has been translated into twelve languages.

Reviews

[♡ Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

An einem Spätsommertag verschwindet ein kleiner Junge im dichten Nebel der Insel Öland - und wird nie wieder gesehen. Zwanzig Jahre später erhält seine Mutter einen Anruf von ihrem Vater: Es gebe ein neues Beweisstück, und er bittet sie, nach Öland zurückzukehren und die Suche wieder aufzunehmen. Dort geht das Gerücht, der unheilbringende Nils Kant sei der Mörder. Dabei war dieser längst tot, als der Junge verschwand. Oder geistert er womöglich noch immer über die weite Kalkebene von Öland?
FÜR SIE: "Eine feine Mischung aus Krimi und Gespensterroman, zum Gruseln gut."
**
Mir hat dieser Roman auch sehr gut gefallen. Er spielt in zwei Zeitebenen; einmal in der Vergangenheit, als der Mord geschah, und einmal im Heute. Das Ende ist sehr überraschend und (für mich) nicht vorhersehbar.
Nur vier Sterne bekommt das Buch von mir, weil ich mich am Anfang erst ein wenig einlesen musste, bevor die Geschichte mich dann packen konnte.
Insgesamt sehr empfehlenswert!

[Carlos · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡Y sí que me encantó! Tenía ganas de leer una novela negra escandinava. Me gustó mucho como el autor describe el típico paisaje y clima frío de Suecia, como describe la niebla, la fuerte lluvia y viento marino y cómo se vive en los fríos parajes de ese frío país. También muestra cómo no solo el clima, sino también la vida familiar es quizás un poco más fría allí también, ya que Julia muy rara vez llama a Gerlof "papá", y la relación con su hermana no era la mejor, o la más cálida al menos.
El relato en sí es un poco lento, pero en mi opnión eso lo hizo aún mejor, es como un suspenso que se va desencadenando lentamente y va revelando todo lo que pasa con los personajes y por supuesto con la historia. La verdad no sé si existirá una película o serie de este libro, pero puedo decir con seguridad que éste es mi "Libro Netflix". Me sentí como viendo una serie a medida que avanzaban las páginas. Debo también decir que el final es uno de los mejores que he leído en cuanto a novelas, un "plot twist" digno de una trama de asesinato y sufrimiento. En verdad lo disfruté muchísimo y mis expectativas para las 3 partes que vienen son muy grandes, a pesar de que no son la continuación de esta historia, pero por lo que se ve está ambientado como en ésta. Lo recomiendo 150%.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about victims. Not about being a victim, or the modes of victimization and self-victimization, but a story about victims moving through lives that have victimized them.

Or maybe it is about loss.

There is a mother who lost her son twenty years before and descended into alcoholism, deep depression and a loss of society.

There is a grand/father who lost his grandson and most of those he's cared about in his life -- simply through the movement of time -- who's never had the love of the daughters he loves, who needs closure and a chance to heal himself and those he's leaving behind.

There is a man who lost his father to an act of violence -- terrible on one hand, misunderstood on the other -- who lives a lonely existence on the alvar, being without really being.

There is a girl who loses the only one she ever loved, and she never even had a chance to tell him; there is a mother who lost all her sons; there is a man who lost his self-respect and his health; there is a family who lost their cohesion; there are two boys and an old man and a drunk man and an exiled man and a police man and two soldiers who lost their lives. There is deep loss in Echoes from the Dead on the Swedish isle of Öland; it is an island of victims.

And there is another person to consider. He killed some of those who lost their lives, or was the subject of others' losses. His actions rippled out to catalyze new actions, which created more victims. But he was as much a victim as everyone else. A man-child who never matured, a boy who wanted to be respected and be good and was at times, a boy-man who couldn't control his violence but was able to rationalize it, a lost heart who just wanted to be home with his mother. He was a victim too. And Johan Theorin lets him be exactly what he is, letting us care for him if we want, without passing any authorial judgement, simply letting him exist amongst all those his life effected and affected.

Beautifully done. Again I find myself wishing I could read Swedish. I bet this is even better in its original form. Someday I will.

[Nikoleta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Παρά το στενάχωρο θέμα του, όταν τελείωσα την ανάγνωση και της τελευταίας σειράς ένιωσα όμορφα. Ένιωσα γαλήνη και… λύτρωση!
Αυτό το αναφέρω γιατί πραγματικά, όταν ξεκίνησα την ανάγνωση του βιβλίου, ένιωθα ένα ατελείωτο βάρος. Η ηρωίδα της ιστορίας είναι μία κατεστραμμένη ψυχολογικά γυναίκα, ενώ το θέμα που πραγματεύεται ο Theorin, στην έναρξη του βιβλίου είναι η εξαφάνιση του 5χρονου παιδιού της. Το γεγονός ότι ο Theorin ασχολείται με την σκιαγράφηση των χαρακτήρων σε όλα τα ψυχολογικά επίπεδα αυτών, προκαλεί σχεδόν κατάθλιψη στον αναγνώστη. Ο ρεαλισμός δε, απορρέει σε όλα τα επίπεδα της αφήγησης. Σε αυτό το σημείο πρέπει να αναφέρω ότι ο συγγραφέας στο βιβλίο του δεν στήνει κάποιου είδους ατμόσφαιρα, δεν χρωματίζει και δεν παρουσιάζει κανενός είδους φτιαγμένο σκηνικό. Και τι εννοώ, το σκηνικό είναι εξολοκλήρου ρεαλιστικό. Πως θα εξελισσόταν αυτή η ιστορία στην πραγματικότητα, πως θα ένιωθαν οι ήρωες άμα βίωναν αυτή την κατάσταση. Επομένως η ατμόσφαιρα είναι ρεαλιστική. Δεν είναι υπερβολικά τραγική, υπερβολικά μυστηριώδη υπερβολικά… τίποτα, είναι απλά ανθρώπινη. Κ έτσι αρχικά την πάτησα διότι ο συγγραφέας επιλέγει να μας παρουσιάσει την Γιούλια, μια τρελαμένη μαμά. Κ είπα εδώ είμαστε… κατάθλιψη. Στην πορεία η ιστορία μας αλλάζει (και ευτυχώς αλλάζει μαζί κ η διάθεση του αναγνώστη) γιατί μας γνωρίζει με τον καταπληκτικό παππού, τον ένα και μοναδικό, Γέρλοφ. Δραστήριος, περίεργος και θαρραλέος. Πρέπει να ανακαλύψει… και ανακαλύπτει.
Εν κατακλείδι, ένα βιβλίο που ξεκινάει υποτονικά, με αργή πλοκή ,που λίγο πριν την μέση παίρνει τα πάνω του, ανεβάζει ταχύτητες και είναι πραγματικά δύσκολο να το αφήσει ο αναγνώστης από τα χέρια του. Μου άρεσε πολύ. Ο Theorin είναι μάστερ του ρεαλιστικού μυστηρίου και της σκιαγράφησης των χαρακτήρων.

[Kostas Papadatos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ο πεντάχρονος γιος της Τζούλια Ντάβιντσον εξαφανίστηκε ένα πρωινό του 1972 χωρίς ποτέ να βρεθεί ούτε ένα ίχνος του. ΕΙΚΟΣΙ χρόνια περίπου αργότερα, ο Γέρλοφ (πατέρας της Τζούλια) λαμβάνει με το ταχυδρομείο ένα παιδικό παπούτσι. Μαντέψτε ποιανού είναι. Από το σημείο αυτό και έπειτα ο Γέρο-Γέρλοφ και η κόρη του, προσπαθούν να ενώσουν τα κομμάτια του πάζλ ώστε να λύσουν το μυστήριο της εξαφάνισης.
Όμορφη αστυνομική περιπέτεια με μπόλικη δόση μυστηρίου. Μοναδική μου ένσταση? Οι ηρώες. Πιο κρύοι και από... υγρό άζωτο φίλε μου.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book - set in Sweden - is about Julia, the mother of a young boy (Jens) who disappeared 20 years ago.



Julia is haunted by this occurrence and has become estranged from her family because of it. Julia's parents were watching Jens when he vanished and Julia can't help but blame them to some extent.

Julia's mom has since died and Julia's dad (Gerlof) has developed a serious illness. Now, someone has sent Jens' sandal to Gerlof.



Gerlof informs Julia and she goes back to visit him.



Gerlof and Julia are determined to find out what happened to Jens and set out to investigate.



They suspect that Nils, the town bully and a criminal, was involved. However, Nils fled the country long ago and is now dead - his body having been returned to his mother in Sweden.



The story is told in parallel tales - that of Julia and Gerlof investigating the death of Jens in the present and that of Nils and the murders that caused him to flee the country. Nils went to Central America and the story follows his life there - what he does and who he meets.

Theorin tells the story at a slow pace but it is so intriguing that I didn't mind too much.

The book gives you a real feel for Sweden and the Swedish people in the story. The resolution is believable and satisfying.

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com

[. . . _ _ _ . . . · Rating 1 out of 5]

Κατάρα στον μαλάκα που έκανε μόδα την σκανδιναβική λογοτεχνία.
Δεν μας έφταναν οι Αντίκ δηλαδή.

[Tessa Nadir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scriitorul si jurnalistul suedez Johan Theorin a fost mereu fascinat de insula Oland din Marea Baltica, pentru ca se trage dintr-o straveche familie de pescari si marinari. Nu este de mirare astfel ca pentru romanele sale s-a inspirat din bogatele, frumoasele, dar si misterioasele povesti care circula pe acest taram.
Prima carte din seria Oland este "Ecouri de dincolo de moarte", ce prezinta cazul disparitiei unui baietel de 5 ani, pe numele sau Jens. Mama lui, Julia Davidsson il cauta peste tot cu disperare, insa in van. Peste 20 de ani bunicul sau Gerlof primeste un pachet prin posta care contine una dintre sandalele baiatului. Mama este chemata inapoi pe insula si impreuna cu Gerlof incep sa puna lucrurile cap la cap reluand cautarea.
Gerlof este un batranel simpatic de 80 de ani, fost capitan de vas, care in prezent se afla in azilul de batrani, cu o gandire insa lucida, ordonata si logica, de mare detectiv. Metodic si cu disciplina el va contribui mult la gasirea rapitorului. De asemenea, cu el ne vom reintalni si in urmatorul roman din serie, "Camera intunecata", unde va avea acelasi rol definitoriu.
Ancheta celor doi va deschide rani vechi si in curand cei care doresc sa ajute la aflarea adevarului vor fi gasiti morti. Faptasul s-a intors pe insula Oland si este din nou insetat de sange.
Romanul este genul de thriller politist in care autorul alege sa ne dezvaluie cine este rapitorul de la inceput, un tip pe numele lui Nils Kant si pe masura ce inaintam in misterul anchetei aflam si povestea sa, destul de bolnava, mai ales din cauza obsesiei pentru peticul de tarm pe care il stapaneste. Avem ocazia de a fi martori la scena in care in copilarie acesta isi ineaca fratele pentru niste caramele, iar mai apoi in tinerete cand isi bate seful cu brutalitate, atunci cand e trimis sa lucreze ca vaslas pe barca.
Cartea mi-a placut mai ales prin descrierile minutioase si bogate ale insulei Oland, cartea avand multa atmosfera, tinutul aspru si misterios actionand psihologic asupra personajelor.
Recomand acest volum daca nu puteti sa rezistati povestilor cu si despre fantome, spirite, troli, iar daca va plac in general scriitorii nordici puteti trece si la urmatorul roman al seriei care mie personal mi s-a parut mai palpitant.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite element in this book is the sense of place. Öland is a barrier island off the Baltic coast of Sweden. Theorin sets four novels here....one for each season. In autumn there are very few residents in the tiny fictitious village of Stenvik. The emptiness of the thinly-soiled limestone landscape and the sparse population make for a memorable setting..... perfect for uncovering past crimes and mysteries. I'm looking forward to learning more about Öland with a new story and new characters in the next season.

[Franco Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me gustó mucho este libro. Johan Theorin nos hechiza con una prosa exquisita. Amo cómo describe los paisajes nórdicos, los climas y los sentimientos de los personajes. Lo que tiene de particular este autor de novelas negras es que ahonda en mitos escandinavos. Éso le da un toque mágico y hermoso, que me cautivó con vehemencia.

El relato es lento, como toda novela escandinava, pero te absorbe con firmeza. Te hace viajar a Suecia, más precisamente a Öland, y con su estilo de escritura nos hace sentir la desolación y la acuciante tensión de la trama.

Con respecto al final, es totalmente impredecible. Yo me quedé un buen rato tratando de digerir lo que había pasado. Me encantó. Una de las mejores conclusiones que leí.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it. Beautifully written. Great misterious scandinavian atmosphere. No hot shot detectives, no fancy investigations, no boring clichees.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the book that I won last year through a Goodreads contest. I just now got around the reading it and wished I hadn't put it off. This is an exceptional thriller with twists and turns around every corner and an ending that you don't see coming.

In 1970, on a day when fog covers all, a little boy disappears never to be seen again. Years later his grandfather, now living in an assisted living establishment, receives one of his sandals in the mail. Just that and nothing else. So begins the journey of the grandfather and grieving mother as they at first reluctanly join forces to find the truth to little Jens' disappeance, and end up rediscovering your love for each other, and coming to terms with a devastating grief that keeps them both from moving on.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers. Set on the island of Oland in Sweden readers are drawned into the beauty, isolaton, and memories of a family that has faced one of the life's most unforgettable events and a grandfather who never gives up in his search for the truth-no matter what cost.

[Jim Coughenour · Rating 3 out of 5]

The new word in this book is alvar, the limestone pavement habitat on the Swedish island of Öland – a topography that plays the same role in this story as the Yorkshire moor does in Wuthering Heights. And if this is an odd way to begin a review, well, it's an odd book.

Echoes from the Dead is another Scandinavian crime story riding in on the crest of Henning Mankell's deliciously cheerless Wallander novels – but it's less a policier than a sometimes whimsical, mostly sad family drama. I could adequately describe the entire plot in about three sentences (don't worry, I won't) and you'd be right to wonder how it could take 385 pages to tell. It says a great deal of Theorin's ability to create a landscape and a mood that his slow novel never quite stops, but keeps pulling us along right up to its mildly surprising dénouement. It was good enough to keep me up reading way too late.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unburying the past...

Twenty years ago, in the midst of a dense fog on the Swedish island of Öland, a little boy disappeared and has never been found. Now his mother Julia lives in Gothenburg, depressed and drinking too much, unable to accept that her son is dead. The child’s grandfather, Gerlof, is an old man now, his mobility restricted by a kind of rheumatic syndrome that causes him terrible pain when it flares up. He still lives on Öland in an assisted living facility, and one day he receives an anonymous parcel in the mail containing a child’s sandal. With the help of Julia and some of his old friends, Gerlof sets out to finally discover the truth of what happened to little Jens. He suspects that a man called Nils Kant had something to do with it, but that can’t be since Nils died years before Jens disappeared. But still...

This falls into the thoughtful area of crime fiction rather than the action thriller. It concentrates as much on Julia’s struggle to come to terms with the loss of her son and on Gerlof’s efforts to make amends for the guilt he feels over not protecting his grandchild as it does on solving the mystery. The second strand, which is just as central, tells of Nils Kant’s life – the crimes he committed as a child and young man that led him to flee Öland. The two stories are told side by side in alternating sections, and both are equally interesting and absorbing. The major strengths of the book are the characterisation of these three people and the great sense of place Theorin creates, bringing the island of Öland vividly to life. The major weakness is common to most contemporary crime – the book is far too long for its content. It could lose a third of its length and be better for it.

The police gave up looking for Jens long ago, assuming that he must have wandered to the nearby shore in the fog and drowned in the sea. But when one of Gerlof’s friends dies – perhaps by accident, perhaps not – the local police officer Lennart Henriksson is willing to listen to Gerlof’s theories and soon a friendship grows up between him and Julia, born of shared feelings of loss. Lennart’s father had been murdered when he was a child and his sense of grief has never left him. He and Julia are able to offer some comfort to each other, and gradually their feelings towards each other deepen into affection and perhaps more.

Nils’ story takes us back to his childhood, when already the signs were there that he would grow up to be a danger to those around him. Selfish and lacking empathy, he commits one terrible act after another but for a while he’s protected by being the son of a wealthy woman who wields power locally through owning the business that provides much of the employment in the area. It is only when he finally does something that can’t be hidden or explained away that he is forced to flee, but he always wants to come back to the island, and to his mother, the only person he has ever really loved. We follow him through his long exile before learning whether he ever succeeds in returning. It’s an excellent portrayal of a severely damaged individual – Nils is undoubtedly monstrous but Theorin also manages to make him pitiable so that the reader’s horror at his actions is laced with a touch of sympathy. Nils’ moral compass is so badly broken it’s hard to condemn him as much as we would someone who knowingly chose to do evil things.

The island itself was once home to a vibrant fishing community, but times change and the small boats of the locals can no longer compete with the industrial fishing methods of the big companies on the mainland. Now Öland has become a summer resort for mainlanders – full of life during the summer months but quiet and almost deserted in the winter except for the one small town on the island and a few scattered elderly residents still clinging on to the homes they have always known. Theorin is equally good at describing the alvar – the barren landscape covered in grasses and shrubs where Nils spends his youth out hunting hares with his shotgun – or the village of Julia’s youth, now closed up for the winter with only two or three residents dotted around. He uses the emptiness and loneliness of the village to great effect in creating an air of danger and tension as Julia, living in Gerlof’s old boathouse, gets drawn deeper into the investigation.

I thoroughly enjoyed this despite the fact that, as I said earlier, it’s longer than it should be. I did have a good idea of the solution from fairly early on but it didn’t matter because the crime in the past took second place to the character studies and the events of the present. The tone is dark but both Julia and Gerlof are sympathetic characters which stops it from becoming too bleak. Having previously enjoyed the fourth book in the quartet (yeah, I know – backwards as usual) I’m looking forward to reading the other two. 4½ stars for me, so rounded up.

www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com

[Χρύσα Βασιλείου · Rating 3 out of 5]

Οι Αντίλαλοι νεκρών είναι το πρώτο μυθιστόρημα του Σουηδού Γιούχαν Θίοριν, με το οποίο συστήθηκε στο αναγνωστικό κοινό το 2008. Έχοντας περάσει τα παιδικά κι εφηβικά του καλοκαίρια στο Έλαντ, ένα νησί «ποτισμένο» με παραδόσεις και θρύλους, ο συγγραφέας αποφάσισε να γράψει μια τετραλογία – τέσσερις ιστορίες που διαδραματίζονται στο συγκεκριμένο νησί, μία για κάθε εποχή του χρόνου. Οι Αντίλαλοι είναι το πρώτο βιβλίο από αυτήν την τετραλογία κι αποτελούν ένα πολλά υποσχόμενο ντεμπούτο.

Η ιστορία ξεκινάει το 1972, όταν ένα μικρό παιδί εξαφανίζεται χωρίς να αφήσει κανένα ίχνος, μια μέρα με ομίχλη. Σχεδόν είκοσι χρόνια αργότερα, η μητέρα του, η Γιούλια, παλεύει ακόμη με τα φαντάσματα του παρελθόντος της και το πικρό σαράκι τού να μην ξέρει τι ακριβώς συνέβη εκείνη την ημέρα στον γιο της. Μέχρι που ο γέρος πατέρας της, ο Γέρλοφ, της τηλεφωνεί και της ζητάει να επιστρέψει στο Έλαντ, μιας και ο ίδιος έλαβε κάτι πολύ παράξενο με το ταχυδρομείο: ένα από τα πέδιλα που φορούσε ο μικρός την ημέρα που χάθηκε. Οι δυο τους, πατέρας και κόρη, θα προσπαθήσουν να ξετυλίξουν το μπερδεμένο κουβάρι της υπόθεσης που τους βασανίζει για τόσα χρόνια, έτσι ώστε να μπορέσουν να βρουν γαλήνη τόσο οι ίδιοι, όσο και το εξαφανισμένο παιδί. Υπάρχουν όμως κάποιοι που δεν βλέπουν με καλό μάτι της έρευνες αυτές και προτιμούν να μείνουν τα πράγματα ως έχουν…

Ο Θίοριν καταφέρνει να πλάσει μια ιδιαίτερη πλοκή, προσφέροντας στον αναγνώστη πολλά περισσότερα από ένα απλό αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα. Το βιβλίο αποτελεί ένα μείγμα αστυνομικής δράσης, υπερφυσικού στοιχείου και σκανδιναβικού φολκλόρ. Ένα ηθογραφικό πορτραίτο του νησιού, με τους λίγους κατοίκους που ζουν εκεί σε όλη τη διάρκεια του χρόνου, τις προκαταλήψεις και τους φόβους που τους γεννά αυτή η απομόνωση, τους στενούς δεσμούς τους με το παρελθόν, άρρηκτα δεμένο με το παρόν τους, την πίστη σε δεισιδαιμονίες και παραδόσεις που σε άλλα μέρη της χώρ��ς έχουν από χρόνια εκλείψει. Αποτελεί επίσης ένα θαυμάσιο ψυχογράφημα μιας μητέρας κι ενός παππού που προσπαθούν, ο καθένας από την πλευρά του, να διαχειριστούν όχι μονάχα την απώλεια, αλλά και το γεγονός πως δεν έχουν καταφέρει να μάθουν ως τώρα τι απέγινε το χαμένο παιδί τους.
συγγραφέας έχει καταφέρει να προσδώσει στην ηρωίδα μια στωική αξιοπρέπεια μέσα στο πένθος της, και πιστεύω πως αρκετοί που έχουν περάσει από μια παρόμοια κατάσταση θα αναγνωρίσουν στο πρόσωπο της Γιούλια και δικές τους αντιδράσεις. Όμως, ούτε και οι υπόλοιποι χαρακτήρες υστερούν, μιας και ο καθένας τους είναι μοναδικά πλασμένος, ούτως ώστε ο αναγνώστης νιώθει σαν να τους ξέρει, σαν να τους έχει συναντήσει σε κάποια φάση της ζωής του. Ρεαλιστικοί, καθημερινοί άνθρωποι της διπλανής πόρτας, που όλοι έχουν να προσφέρουν κάτι –μικρό ή μεγάλο, λίγη σημασία έχει πραγματικά– στην επίλυση της υπόθεσης.
Οι Αντίλαλοι νεκρών αποτελούν ένα από τα καλύτερα συγγραφικά ντεμπούτα που έχω διαβάσει προσωπικά και είμαι σίγουρη πως θα καταφέρουν να κερδίσουν -από την αρχή έως και το ανατρεπτικό τους τέλος- τον αναγνώστη, είτε μιλάμε για φανατικό του συγκεκριμένου είδους, είτε για κάποιον που απλά ψάχνει μια πολύ καλή ιστορία.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect example of Nordic Noir (pity it was a reread)

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Child gets lost in mists and 20 years later his mother returns to the island that took her son, her life and future. She comes because something has changed a shoe that belonged to her son was send to her dad in a nursing home on the island. She will revisit her past and learns to live with her present before she finds out what happened.
This is a book about island life in Scandinavia, a story about communities lost and changed and the changing world in which there seems to be little place for memories and the pain of losing.
The pace is pedestrian but this is a story told about seemingly lost people who find out about their past and current life.

And excellent ghostlike and thriller which got time to breath.

[Jurgita · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5🌟

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel has the best sense of place I’ve read in a long time. Theorin paints with a few words scattered through his dialog: sparse yellow-brown grass in a small meadow, low, gnarled juniper and moss-covered stones, wind, cold, limestone beaches, pointy firs. He writes of Öland Island, off the southeastern coast of Sweden. I waited until I finished the book to look up photographs, but you may want to have a look now. It is a scrubby island landscape with the ruins of a most intriguing castle.

The island is an inspired choice for a mystery setting because it has small year-round communities isolated in winter. Residents tend to be hardy and self-sufficient, relying on the ocean and the island to eke out a living. Theorin’s characters have closed personalities, with lots hidden, even from family. When a psychopath, Nils, is born into the midst of a small community, the group bears its troubles silently until Nils has to be corralled.

Theorin has made a series out of his mysteries set on Öland. It is the island that is reprised, not the characters. On his website, Theorin tells us that he wants to write a quartet of novels, one for each season of the year. Echoes of the Dead is the autumn novel. His second novel, The Darkest Room is set in the winter, and was published in 2008 to wild acclaim. Theorin’s third novel in the quartet, Blodläge, in English called The Quarry, has been translated and was published last year in the UK. It should be available shortly in the U.S. An insightful reviewer has commented that Theorin is the least conventional of Swedish crime writers, and that this can be a disappointment to some, but that the “dailiness” of his novels gives readers an understanding of ordinary people’s lives. This may be the my favorite thing about these titles.

[Alexandra Matobookalo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Πρόκειται για ένα θρίλερ που μεταφέρει τον αναγνώστη μία στο παρόν και μία στο παρελθόν. Η ιστορία είναι αρκετά δυνατή: αφορά την εξαφάνιση ενός εξάχρονου αγοριού που ύστερα από 20 περίπου χρόνια δεν έχει λυθεί. Έχει πολλά στοιχεία ενός καλού θρίλερ και ειδικά από ένα σημείο και μετά γίνεται πολύ δυνατό. Θεωρώ βέβαια ότι σε κάποια σημεία είναι λίγο επιτηδευμένο ή απλό σαν λύση και σε κάποια άλλα γίνεται λίγο κουραστικό. Είναι για 3,5/5 αλλά βάζω 4/5 γιατί παρ’ όλες τις αδυναμίες του υπήρξαν ανατροπές που μου άρεσαν!

[Carey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am obviously out of step with the rest of the reviewers. It wasn’t bad, but I just kept skipping huge chunks because I wasn’t interested enough. in the end just skipped straight to the end of the book...

[Pattie · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Echoes from the Dead" tells the story of Julia, her father Gerlof, and their search 20 years after the fact to find out what happened to Julia's 5 year old boy (Jens) who went missing without a trace. Police ruled back then that Jens likely drowned in the sound but no evidence supports that theory. Julia is a nurse who lives alone in a town a few hours from where she grew up and still has difficulty coming to grips over the loss of her son. She drinks too much and takes emotional leave time off of work but can't seem to get herself together. Gerlof, Julia's father still lives in their home town of Stenvik. He is a retired fisherman who one day receives a sandal in the mail strongly resembling one that Julia's son, Jens, was wearing when he disappeared so many years ago. Meanwhile, Nils Kant, who has been responsible for many crimes in the small town, is thought to be dead. However, there is a suggestion that he was in the alvar the day Jens disappeared. Strange occurrences create doubt about whether he is truly dead and chapters in his name add interest to the story.

Julia travels to her father to begin trying to find pieces of the puzzle to learn once and for all what happened to Jens and who was responsible. This book, while well written, is quite slow in the middle. As Gerlof tells Julia when she asks him to just tell her what he knows, "I just think it's best to tell stories at their own pace. Before, people always took their time over telling stories, but now everything has to be done quickly." Oh well, I guess we will go slowly. Very slowly.

The book does have a nice curve which adds interest and got me to the three star rating. It just wasn't as compelling as I had hoped.

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very haunting story, Echoes From the Dead begins in 1972, when Jens, a 6-year old boy, decides that he'll scale the garden wall while his grandmother's taking a nap and everyone else is away from the home. We are told right away that in the fog,Jens encounters someone identifying himself as Nils Kant, and after that, he's just gone. Flash forward 20 years, and his mother, Julia, has still not gotten over his disappearance. Most everyone has assumed he'd drowned; she's not willing to believe he's gone. She's a psychological wreck, unable to work, drinking, sitting all day watching a home shopping network type show on tv. But all of that changes one day when her father, Gerlof, phones her to say that he's just received a child's sandal in the mail, and that it is likely one belonging to Jens. Off goes Julia back to where it all happened and where Gerlof now lives in a residential nursing home. It seems that Gerlof has never stopped trying to figure out what happened to Jens, and has come up with a few theories of his own, along with a few of his friends. Gerlof, his friends, and Julia all try to figure out what happened to little Jens 20 years earlier.

What's really great about this novel is that the author sets up such an incredible atmosphere of suspense and gloom that you can't put the book down. Carefully interweaving the story of Nils Kant from his childhood onward, Theorin captures his reader's attention from the outset. All of the characters are very well defined and very believable and the writing is very good. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone, especially readers who enjoy Scandinavian mysteries.

Hard to believe, but this is the author's first novel. I'll be on the lookout for the next one. Very good book.

thanks to Librarything and Random House for allowing me to read this book prior to its US release!

[Mohikanos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Πολύ καλό βιβλίο το οποίο ξεφεύγει από τα αυστηρά όρια ενός αστυνομικού μυθιστορήματος, και αποτελεί περισσότερο μια ηθογραφία της σουηδικής επαρχίας. Ο Τεορίν σκηνοθετεί άριστα την ιστορία του και αφηγείται τόσο ωραία και πλούσια ώστε ο αναγνώστης αισθάνεται κάτοικος του μικρού νησιού και παρατηρητής των γεγονότων από κοντά. Οι ήρωες είναι απλοί άνθρωποι και κερδίζουν άμεσα τη συμπάθεια του αναγνώστη. Η ιστορία εκτυλίσσεται σε παράλληλο χρόνο με το παρελθόν, μέχρι τη στιγμή που παρελθόν και παρόν τέμνονται και φτάνουμε στη λύση του μυστηρίου. Σημειώνεται ότι το μυστήριο, μολονότι ενυπάρχει σε όλο το βιβλίο, δεν αποτελεί το πρωτεύον στοιχείο του, αλλά μάλλον το εφαλτήριο για την πλοκή της ιστορίας που ήθελε να αφηγηθεί ο συγγραφέας. Προτείνεται ανεπιφύλακτα σε όσους ενδιαφέρονται για μια ωραία νουάρ ιστορία με την οποία θα περάσουν ευχάριστα το χρόνο τους. (8/10)

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it’s fairly well known that I’m a bit of a sucker for a good Nordic Noir novel. Scandinavia has long been a part of the world that I love and perhaps it’s something to do with it being so opposite geographically on the globe from Australia that holds its fascination for me. One of the things I look for in this genre is to be immersed in a new part of one of these Nordic countries. In this case, Johan Theorin has introduced me to the Swedish island of Öland, in “Echoes from the Dead”, the first in the Öland Quartet series.

Firstly, I’d actually never heard of Öland so it has been intriguing to learn something of this place and a little of its geography. Known for its alvar plains, and 300 kilometre coastline, Öland is a perfect setting for the Scandi Crime genre. Windswept, foggy and rugged, Theorin has created an intriguing tale that makes use of the alvar plains almost as another character in his book.

“Echoes from the Dead” centres around a little boy, Jens Davidsson who disappeared without a trace in the early 70s. Set in the mid 90s, the book centres around the toll and subsequent relentless belief that his mother, Julia continues to hold that she will find her son. Theorin takes us on an intriguing journey that held my interest throughout. A great first instalment to this series and I’m looking forward to the rest.

[Širšė Širšė · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noooooooorthlaaaaand!!!

Va tokia va ši knyga - šiaurietiška. Su akmenuotomis plynėmis, su atšiauriomis Baltijos pakrantėmis, kuriose karaliauja odą lupantys jūros vėjai. Drėgme ir brutualoku realizmu, atskleidžiančiu, kad jei eisi naktį nusišlapint į kiemą, tai į pliką šikną pūs šiaurys ir tame nebus jokios romantikos, nebent išmoksi vertinti pasaulį tokį, koks jis yra.

Pagrindiniai veikėjai nei gražūs, nei ypatingi: vienas senelių namuose nerimstantis buvęs kapitonas ir pusamžė moteris, serganti depresija bei vakarų vienumoje piktnaudžiaujanti raudonuoju vynu.
Nusikaltimas - įvykdytas prieš kelis dešimtmečius, daugumai išblukęs ir užmirštas.
Tyrimas - lėtas bei orus. Visai toks, koks būna, jei niekam per daug ir nerūpi išsiaiškinti, kas gi vis dėlto nutiko kadaise kalkakmenio tyruose.

Žodžiu, tai visiškai ne Nesbo vakarietiškų veiksmo filmų dvasia apsikrėtę detektyvai, o daug ramesnė istorija, kupina Wassmo šiaurės ir Stigo Larsono senai naujos paslapties gvildenimo. Iš tiesų skaitant šią knygą man vis vaidenosi tai “Dinos knyga” tai “Mergina su drakono tatuiruote” ir dėl to buvo visai smagu, nors ši ir netraukia iki anų dviejų, tačiau vis tiek labai maloniai perskaičiau ir vietomis net pati stebėjausi, kad ta neskubi pasakojimo maniera pakankamai stipriai įtraukia. Puikiai suveikė dvi pasakojimo linijos: dabartis ir praeitis, sekant įtariamą žudiką nuo jo vaikystės. Patiko techniniai sprendimai - dabarties įvykiai pasakojami būtuoju laiku, o senieji - esamuoju ir labai aiškiai matosi, kiek artimas yra būtasis laikas ir koks nutolęs esamasis (paradoksas, bet tikrai taip). Man patiko visa siužeto architektūra, gražiai sudėlioti kabliukai bei detalės, įvykiai vis pakurstantys intrigą, perėjimai nuo dabarty vykstančio tyrimo prie praeities pasakojimo. Labai teigiamai veikė netušti veikėjai, su savo gyvenimo istorijomis ir jų saikingu atskleidimu, su šiaurietiškai stoiškais charakteriais ir netobulumu. Viskas labai logiška ir tvarkinga, apgalvota bei pasverta, kai kur gal net iki matematinio tikslumo.
O kur dar atmosfera! Puikiai perteikta aplinka, apimanti ne tik jūros pakrančių vaizdus, bet ir socialinius, kultūrinius bei istorinius kontekstus, visus juos sulipdant į itin pagaulų bendrą peizažą.

Tikrai neblogas, ne kartą nustebinęs, gomurį pamaloninantis skaitinys.

[Jmm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twenty years ago Julia Davidsson's 5-year-old son Jens disappeared into the fog on the remote Swedish island of Öland and was never found. Everyone except Julia believes Jens wandered down to the shore and drowned. Unable to accept that her son is dead, Julia withdraws from her family and stumbles through life using alcohol and medication to deaden the pain of not knowing. Then, after all these years, her father Gerlof calls to tell her that someone has sent him one of Jens's sandals in the mail; so Julia returns to Öland to try, once again, to find her son.

Johan Theorin's "Echoes from the Dead" is an absorbing mystery that works on several levels: as a classic whodunit that keeps the reader guessing up to the last few pages, as a horror story with scenes that slowly pull the reader reluctantly forward, and as a family story that examines how tragedy cuts at the ties that bind and leaves them hanging by fragile threads. It is a story that unfolds across and between time periods starting with the day Jens disppears, then flowing back and forth between present and past: from Gerlof at the nursing home holding Jens sandal in his hand to before World War II where we pick up the life of Nils Kant, who supposedly died and was buried long before Jens disappeared but who Gerlof suspects is somehow involved in his grandson's disappearance. Above all, the novel is the story of a landscape, the island of Öland, that Theorin presents as a central character with a life and history of its own--a landscape that interacts with all its human inhabitants and drives their behaviors.

"Echoes from the Dead" is, on every level, an immensely satisfying experience no matter how you want to approach it.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when I thought I had discovered the best Scandinavian authors, I find Johan Theorin. He is one good story teller and this is a book I did not want to put down, even for a minute. The story is about a little boy of six years old, who disappeared in 1972 and was never found. Twenty years later, his eight-year old grandfather, who was taking care of him on the day he disappeared, has received one of the boy's sandals in the post and he contacts his daughter and asks her to come down to the Island of Oland, to help him find the truth as to what happened on that fateful day. Julia, the boy's mother, has never got over the loss of her only child and the worst part of not knowing what happened to him. She holds hope that maybe he is still alive, but with the arrival of the sandal in the post, she starts to come to the realisation that he is indeed dead. Julia and her father, Gerlof, set about trying to discover the events that led up to Jens disappearance and we see the effect it has had on their lives, all these years later. It is a story told in past and present tense, that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat, wanting to know desperately, what happened to little Jens. It rings true in how Julia's grief is described and how she cannot let go of the past and cannot get over the loss of her child. I would highly recommend this author, who has also written two further books in this "Oland Quartet", I have read one, "The Darkest Room", (another fantastic book), "The Quarry", I am on the hunt for and there is a further one, not yet translated into English. He has also written "The Asylum", not part of the Quartet, but another great read. I hope there are many more books to come.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have found a new favorite author. I enjoyed Johan Theorin"s 1st book in the Oland series very much. A five year old boy disappears from the Oland Island southeast of Sweden. He was never found and his mother has been grieving for 20 years. His grandfather receives a sandal in the mail that looks like the sandal Jens was wearing on that day. The grandfather Gerloft calls his daughter Julia to come to see him so they can resolve what happened to Jens.

It was a very good mystery. I had to make myself not look ahead several times as I was eager to see what happened. This does not happen to me often. I did not have the full mystery resolved until the last several pages when the author revealed the story of what happened. I came to care for the characters of Julia and her father Gerloft. Her father was the main sleuth in the story. He was 80 years old and kept information close to his vest. Even though he was in poor health, he was persistent. His occupation had been as a sea captain.

The location of Oland was as intriguing to me as the story was. It had fallen on hard times. In the past, private ownership vessels has worked out of the harbors. In later times, banks would not give out loans to the private owners. Oland had turned into a summer tourist community and very few people lived there in the winter months. The alvar which was bleak and isolated reminded me of the saltmarsh in Ellie Griffith's books. It was atmospheric to me.

The book was translated to English but if it hadn't been mentioned on the cover, I wouldn't have known. It flowed well and seemed like it had been originally written in English.

This book was one of my best reads in 2016 and I plan on continuing with the next book.

[Ana Goulart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um livro sobre perda e resiliência. Um mistério por resolver. O ambiente soturno, a solidão da ilha sueca de Öland e histórias fantásticas que se contam à hora das sombras. Um bom livro, muito bem escrito, que nos conta a dificuldade de ultrapassar a maior das perdas - a perda de um filho. É também um livro sobre as relações familiares, com os seus altos e baixos, e o seu papel estruturante.