Absolution

by Olaf Olafsson

In his spellbinding first novel, acclaimed Icelandic author Olaf Olafsson takes us inside the mind of a man haunted by the crime he willed half a century earlier.

Expatriate businessman Peter Peterson left behind the trappings of a seemingly charmed a vast fortune, two children, and a stately Park Avenue address. But he also left behind another a secret from long ago that shadowed his accomplishments and estranged him from his loved ones—a crime of passion, committed in the throes of unrequited love, that became a lifetime’s burden. Yet when Peter is forced to confront the consequences of his actions, an unexpected turn of events shakes the very foundation of his past. Spanning a boyhood in Iceland to the Nazi occupation of Denmark to modern-day Manhattan, Absolution calls up Dostoevsky and Ibsen as it masterfully plumbs the darkest corners of a sinister mind and a wounded heart.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Thriller, Scandinavian Literature, Literary Fiction, International

272 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1991

About the author

Olaf Olafsson was born in Reykjavik, Iceland in 1962. He studied physics as a Wien Scholar at Brandeis University. He is the author of three previous novels, The Journey Home, Absolution and Walking Into the Night, and a story collection, Valentines. His books have been published to critical acclaim in more than twenty languages. He is the recipient of the O. Henry Award and the Icelandic Literary Award, was shortlisted for the Frank O’Connor Prize, and has twice been nominated for the IMPAC Award. He is the Executive Vice President of Time Warner and he lives in New York City with his wife and three children.
http://www.facebook.com/olafsson.author

Reviews

[Einar Jóhann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Á kaffistofunni um daginn sótti ég hart að Ólafi Jóhanni þegar mjúkir kollegar mínir fóru að mæra Snertingu. Þá vatt sér upp að mér góður maður sem mælti með þessari hér og sagði þessa vera gjörólíka henni. Það var auðvitað rétt og þetta er fínasta bók um glæp og refsingu og lýsingar góðar. Ég er líka pínu sökker fyrir Reykvísku borgarastéttinni.