Building work in an expanding Reykjav?k uncovers a shallow grave. Years before, this part of the city was all open hills, and Erlendur and his team hope this is a typical Icelandic missing person scenario; perhaps someone once lost in the snow, who has lain peacefully buried for decades. Things are never that simple.
Whilst Erlendur struggles to hold together the crumbling fragments of his own family, his case unearths many other tales of family pain. The hills have more than one tragic story to tell: tales of failed relationships and heartbreak; of anger, domestic violence and fear; of family loyalty and family shame. Few people are still alive who can tell the story, but even secrets taken to the grave cannot remain hidden forever.
I found out Silence of the Grave was the second book of a series just after I received the book for review. I also found out the first book, Jar City, has a movie adaptation, and Silence of the Grave is in the making. Did it change things? Not really. The book is so well written and stands for itself. You don?t need any background, or maybe I just understood things without needing it. So, I decided to see the book as a single novel? An amazing one, I should say.
The scenary is Reykjav?k, Indridason?s city, and detective Erlendur is deep inside a new case. The case could be easily forgotten, but not by him. Bones are found in an escavation, and wanting to discover the mystery behind it, Erlendur goes to the past that buries not only corpses or bones, but old struggles too.
Silence of the Grace is a strong history, not only a strong mystery. The book is good on its investigative side, but shows so much emotion and envolvement that you can?t put it down. It?s a fast book to read, but also an emotional one. Not because it?s sad, but because it brings to life themes we see in our day-to-day but never stop to think about: domestic violence, family relationships and how much we need to give of ourselves to others.
I loved the narrative and thought Indridason was dead on in his writing. The characters development was well done, and everything just goes together as pieces of a puzzle in the end. A wonderful read.
Author: Arnaldur Indridason
Country: Iceland
Language: English
Genre(s): Young Adult, Mystery
Publisher: Vintage Books
Publication date: November 1, 2010
Pages: 304
Purchase it: Amazon | Barnes & Nobles
Rating:
Building work in an expanding Reykjav?k uncovers a shallow grave. Years before, this part of the city was all open hills, and Erlendur and his team hope this is a typical Icelandic missing person scenario; perhaps someone once lost in the snow, who has lain peacefully buried for decades. Things are never that simple.