Blogging Anniversary - 10 years

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A while ago I checked when I did my first blog post, in order to celebrate with an anniversary post. Well, that day came and went without any reaction from me. Better late than never, so here a reminder of my very first blog post from 24 October 2012.  The book was New Finnish Grammar  by Diego Marani. Marani is an Italian novelist, translator and newspaper columnist. While working as a translator for the European Union he invented a language ‘Europanto’ which is a mixture of languages and based on the common practice of word-borrowing usage of many EU languages. It was a suitable book to start with, being a book about letters, languages and memories. With a beautiful prose, the novel went directly to my heart.  "One night at Trieste in September 1943 a seriously wounded soldier is found on the quay. The doctor, of a newly arrived German hospital ship, Pietri Friari gives the unconscious soldier medical assistance. His new patient has no documents or anything that can ide...
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The Survivors by Jane Harper

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Jane Harper's new novel does not disappoint. She is the master of suspense. Her stories start with what does not look like a crime, but turns out to be. There is an underlying fear of something you can not pinpoint. Kieran and his wife Mia are visiting their childhood village by the sea. Kieran is traumatised by what happened to his brother and his friend all those years ago, dying while trying to rescue him from the sea. 

"A body on a beach.

Secrets that have been waiting to be uncovered for twelve years.

And a family torn apart by guilt and trauma..."

Kieran's father suffers from dementia and he has come home to help his parents. The relationships has been strained ever since the death of his brother, who was the favourite son. He is enjoying seeing his old friends again.  When all seem to be well, the village is once again exposed to a sudden death. A young girl, Bronte, temporarily working at the local pub is found dead on the beach. They are all shocked, and the village is in denial that it could be anyone local. The more the police investigate, the more they are convinced that it is someone local. While investigating the murder, further evidence of the old accident surfaces, making the police reconsider the events of the accident twelve years earlier. 

As usual Harper keeps us in suspense and guessing until the very end. The story starts out a little bit slow, but soon takes off and you are totally absorbed. We are only given small hints at a time, and I probably, at different times, thought most of them were a suspect. However, things are not always what they seem, and the ending came as a surprise.

What I love about Harper's books must be that all the characters are so normal. They live normal lives, but at a certain point they are exposed to something which makes them behave out of context. Most of them are very agreeable people. Her look into the psychological minds of people, their actions when they are exposed to something threatening, is so skilful. An excellent read. 


Comments

  1. Jeanie15 December 2021 at 14:07

    I've never read Jane Harper and again, I come out of your posts with another author to add to my list!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lisbeth 18 December 2021 at 14:23

      I am happy that you like the books. Jane Harper is really good. I think 'Dry' and 'Force of Nature' are probably better than this one, if you want to start there. However, all her books are very well written and interesting from a psychological point of view. I still have to read 'The Lost Man'. That will be something to look forward to.

      Delete

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