"We encounter the Devil all the time. The question is, how do we handle him?"
|
The undisputed queen of psychological horror, Norwegian author Karin Fossum takes an up-close view of three deaths in this novel in which Evil touches Inspector Konrad Sejer's own family. Andreas Winther, a handsome 18-year-old of little motivation and less morality, is cruising with his friend Zipp Skorpe when they decide to taunt a small brown boy. The boy is Sejer's adopted grandson Mattheus, a Somali immigrant trying to fit into Norwegian society. Their arrogance and their attitude of being above the rules of society ensures from the outset that they will never be characters with whom the reader will identify as author Fossum deals with broader issues and themes.
Bored, Andreas and Zipp then decide to rob a young woman pushing a baby stroller, and later on to rob a house in which an old woman lives alone. In short order, the baby ends up dead, and Andreas ends up missing--and eventually dead. An acquaintance named Robert, taunted by his girlfriend Anita, who is flirting with one of Robert's friends, is driven to distraction, shoots at the friend, and kills Anita.
Each of these deaths is examined in minute detail from the perspective of the killer and the victims, and the question of responsibility and the extent to which the killer intended to kill--and whether that is relevant--are considered from many angles. For each of the three deaths, there are mitigating factors. Robert, Anita's killer, is regarded by the police as "a good person," suddenly overwhelmed by the desire to protect his relationship. Irma Funder, the 60-year-old woman whom Andreas intended to rob, finds herself caring for Andreas for many days after he is injured in her house--and even going to the police for help--but she is unable or unwilling to be specific about what has happened and what she wants the police to do. As for the baby, his death could be crib death, the result of the fall that took place during the robbery, and or the mother's fault forletting go of the carriage.
As Fossum pursues her themes and illustrates them vividly through her carefully drawn characters, the book becomes a powerful investigation of evil and its ability to seize and control lives. No one, however terrible his/her crime, is completely evil here, but, as Fossum shows, the justice system can only deal with issues that are black and white. When "justice" eventually resolves each of these cases, few readers will be surprised by the resolution. By turns exciting and thoughtful, dramatic and contemplative, When the Devil Holds the Candle is a fine novel dealing with important themes in new ways. Mary Whipple
|
|
|
best one yet
|
|
This is a brilliant novel and the finest one yet, in my view, from Norway's 'Queen of Crime'. We see the tragic events unfold through a variety of people and, so typically of this author, we come to feel great compassion for them, even the criminals. There are moments of tremendous Hitchcock-like tension. One of the two friends sneaks into an old lady's house, for instance, and does not come out again. What on earth can have happened to him? We also follow Inspector Sejer and his life as he interviews a whole host of interesting people to try and get to the bottom of the mystery. I could not put this one down. I like her now at least as much as Henning Mankell. This is as good as latter's best, in my view. I would recommend it highly.
|
|
|
United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada