Summer Reading

It’s been a while (five years!) since I’ve done one of these “Summer Reading” posts; a recent spate of new titles has given me the fuel to stoke my literary fires.

Kalmann
An Icelandic Mystery
By Joachim B. Schmidt
Translated from the German by Jamie Lee Searle


The biggest surprise in this batch was Joachim B. Schmidt’s Kalmann, an elegant and original mystery set in the northernmost Iceland town of Raufarhöfn. Kalmann is an intellectually challenged shark fisherman who is tolerated by the townspeople even though he has had some behaviorial issues in the past. After Kalmann discovers a pool of blood near a monument he sets out, in his own peculiar way, to solve the mystery. This is a wonderfully well-written book, it captured my attention from the start and the plots meanders to a satisfying conclusion. It is very funny at times, Kalmann is an exasperating yet endearing character; he has been described as an Icelandic Forrest Gump.

Highly recommended.

The Volunteer
A Novel
By Salvatore Scibona

Dense and complex, The Volunteer is a completely different sort of book, although it too could be classed as a mystery. Vollie Frade, the main character, is a farm boy who joins the U.S. Marines and does several tours of duty, one of which is a black ops affair that finds him stripped of his identity. The story shifts focus from Vollie to a sort-of adopted son who abandoned a child in an airport and leapfrogs to various parts of the United States, Asia and Europe from the 1950s to 2039. It is generally well-written, and covers a lot of serious issues but, ultimately, is a shaggy-dog story—an extremely dark Forrest Gump.

A marginal recommendation.

Karitas Untitled
A Novel
By Kristín Marja Baldursdóttir
Translated from the Icelandic by Philip Roughton

Karitas Untitled was written in 2004 but has just been translated and published by Amazon Crossing. This is sort of an Icelandic Little Women: “Spanning decades and set against a breathtaking historical canvas.” I actually bought the book based upon a recommendation but no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t buy into its premise. Karitas is one of a brood of sisters living in the Icelandic country in the early 1900s. She has a gift for drawing, the story tells of her trials in coming to grips with her education and the larger world. It has won a ton of awards but I found the writing to be so prosaic and formulaic (think YA) that I couldn’t finish it.

No recommendation.

The Locked Room
A Ruth Galloway Mystery
By Elly Griffiths

I am big fan of the Ruth Galloway series (when will the BBC have this on Masterpiece?) so I have been eagerly awaiting The Locked Room, the latest entry in the series. I had read that Ruth has to deal with Covid crisis so my curiosity was doubly piqued. All the “gang” is here, the biggest strength of this series is the interaction between the regular characters, regular people who have to deal with regular problems in addition to the mysteries and mayhem that besets them. The Covid material is deftly integrated into the plot—it brought me back to the early days of the pandemic (too soon?) As with the other Galloway titles, this book should really be read in published order, the characters age and and their relationships grow in a realistic fashion.

Recommended for fans of the series (which should be read in order.)

Outside
A Mystery
By Ragnar Jónasson
Translated from the Icelandic by Victoria Cribb

Reading Ragnar Jónasson has been a bit frustrating for me; his Icelandic mysteries are generally competent but often uninspired. Ragnar has been heavily influenced by Agatha Christie and his latest effort, Outside, is no exception. In this stand-alone mystery, a small group of friends go on a weekend ptarmigan hunting trip in the Icelandic highlands in late November—what could possibly go wrong? An unexpected blizzard and a surprising discovery in a shelter hut upsets their plans. This is a tight tale, told in short episodic chapters that alternate the POVs of the four main characters. It would make a good movie, perhaps not worthy of a major cinematic release, but definitely worth streaming—Agatha would be proud.

Marginal recommendation.

Salka Valka
By Halldór Laxness
Translated from the Icelandic by Philip Roughton

Finally, saving the best for last, is the new translation of Salka Valka, Halldór Laxness’ earliest masterpiece.

This is a tremendous book and Philip Roughton brings it into the modern world with a terse vitality that the older translation (from the Danish) lacked. Don’t take my word for it, the Laxness in Translation website has several reviews of the book in its first translation as well as links to reviews of the latest version.

Very highest recommendation.