Snow Angel
Summary:
Shortly before Christmas, Kari Vaara, the police chief of the Lapland town of Kittilä, gets a phone call informing him that the body of Sufia Elmi, a Somali refugee and minor film star, has been found in a snowfield on a reindeer farm. The victim has also been mutilated, perhaps raped, and a racial slur carved into her flesh. When Kari’s ex-wife’s lover becomes the prime suspect, Kari spurns the chance to recuse himself and presses on. The winter hazards of alcoholism, suicide and murder all play a part as Kari uncovers more suspects. Sufia’s imperious father, Abdi Barre, who was a doctor in his native country and now runs a cleaning service, puts added pressure on Kari. Tangled smalltown relationships and lust also fuel this noirish thriller. [from Publisher’s Weekly, https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-399-15617-5]
Group Review/Comments:
10 thumbs up
4 thumbs down
Many group members felt the plot real and contemporary, even difficult to read given the current political state. The plot was racially charged and felt like the story could have been written today instead of 10 years ago.
Most felt the book was well written–although, as group organizer, I have to put in my two cents that I thought it was very “flat, with a lot of “telling rather than showing.” Another reader said that the male character is “flat” because it is an accurate reflection of Finnish culture…drink..drink…don’t deal with life just keep drinking.
Whereas some felt there was not enough character development, especially of the women characters, others felt the Kate character was accurately shown as reacting to the stress of living in a small town, in a dark, cold winter, with no language and not mobile. Some found Kate “whiny and annoying,” others felt that given her circumstances, one could empathize and understand her demeanor.
The mystery made sense given the characters, setting and plot and readers enjoyed the peek into this particular, small rural town in Finland. The writing set the scene well, the dark, cold, isolating winter. On the other hand, some readers felt that although the depiction of Finnish culture was interesting, the mystery itself was weak. Another reader commented that the setting and psyche of characters tied together-the darkness, the isolation, etc.
Although most enjoyed reading about Finnish culture, one group member with a personal connection to Finns said that the author’s take on the culture didn’t ring true.
Almost everyone in the group commented about the extreme violence –especially towards women–in the novel. Too much, over the top, creepy and shocking were some of the comments.
