I & I - 2011, Qupperneq 45

45I&I
outrAge
Outrage is the ninth book in the detective Erlendur series
and this time the protagonist is Elínborg, a seasoned detec-
tive who is also a mother and a wife. She investigates a brutal
murder and during the investigation battles with the hidden ug-
liness of human nature, visible only to a few, as well as her own
guilt pertaining to parental neglect.
One of my arguments against writing crime novels set in Ice-
land has been that there is simply no basis to believe such bru-
tality occurs within the confines of our little island; that the writ-
ing itself is almost wishful thinking, a way to place Reykjavík on
a platform with American cities where detectives do investigate
brutal murders. However, Indridason proved me wrong in Out-
rage, starting with the plot.
The plot is sparked by a simple event: the murder of a young
man living in Reykjavík. The plot explores Elínborg’s initial im-
pressions, then the more questionable details of lifestyle choices
that lead to a full exposure of a much darker world, so far from
our imagination yet perhaps too easy to stumble into.
Notions of guilt and innocence enter into a battle zone where
the undeserving experience guilt and the question of rightful
punishment for the deserving are ever-present in the characters
and their conflicts.
Indridason has been published in several languages and it is
perhaps the sense of Iceland and the Icelandic reality that draws
foreign readership to his work.
He captures the intricate details of the Icelandic way of life
and of the citizens in Europe’s northernmost capital city, with
a glimpse into smaller communities that seem so strange to a
city dweller, yet to someone whose childhood was spent in such
a place, the familiarity of people’s interaction is prevailing. The
story captures the sense of invisible borders between the citi-
zens of this island in the North yet does not discriminate.
The protagonist Elínborg and her thoughts and investigative
work are revealed to the reader, but little is said about Sigur-
dur Óli, a disgruntled police officer whose fuse is short, much to
Elínborg’s dislike. The presence of Elínborg’s family serves as her
shelter from the world, yet not a shelter from her inner life.
The storyline is simple yet invites the reader to catch a glimpse
of a subplot involving the invisible character Erlendur, a mild in-
troduction to a mystery to be resolved in a later book perhaps.
Outrage is not a masterpiece but succeeds where many crime
novels fail: to provoke readers and surprise them with an unfore-
seen conclusion.
The original title of Outrage, Myrká or ‘dark River’ is certainly
appropriate for the evil running through the plot.
By Júlíana Björnsdóttir

tHe pets
The Pets by former Sugarcubes bassist Bragi Ólafsson, origi-
nally published by Bjartur in 2001 and translated into English
in 2008, is one of the stranger books I have read in recent years.
The book’s nomination for the Icelandic Literature Award and
favorable reviews in Iceland and abroad, show that this strange-
ness was appreciated.
With a straightforward and humorous style, the author man-
ages to catch the reader’s attention from the first pages, even
though the events he describes seem rather everyday and not
all that exciting to begin with. There is something between
the lines, hinting that the story is about to take an unexpected
turn.
The whole book happens in a few hours, mostly in an apart-
ment in a quiet street in downtown Reykjavík, with only a few
glimpses of the past to shed light on the present situation.
The story is divided into two narratives, a first-person ac-
count by the story’s main protagonist, Emil: a pretty normal guy,
presumably in his mid-thirties, who has a son in denmark from a
past relationship and a friend in Akureyri, who he isn’t quite sure
whether or not to call his girlfriend.
Hávardur is an unpleasant fellow who carries a mysterious
plastic bag around Reykjavík while he searches for his friends.
As none of them are at home in the middle of the day, he wan-
ders around the city center, leaving a trail of uneasiness.
The two narratives merge into one as the two characters catch
up with each other, and the rest of the story is told through Em-
il’s perspective, who, upon his return from London, finds himself
in the most absurd of situations. The book teaches us that not
everything is what it seems and that there are many sides to a
story. Yet the story has no definite moral; readers must decide
for themselves what they want to make of it. Many things are
left unsaid, there is room for speculation and, in fact, there is no
definite ending. The book is like a track on a Cd that isn’t played
to the end but stops right before the outro begins.
Whether that is good or bad, readers will have to decide for
themselves. While some might find an open ending stimulating,
I find it a bit irritating, as if I’ve been cheated out of something.
But perhaps the author attempts to provoke such feelings in his
readers. He certainly provokes thinking.
The book never has a dull moment and I never got bored
reading it, although I didn’t have any problems putting it down
either. The story didn’t get me hooked, craving more (except
I am curious about that ending). However, The Pets is a good
read for sure.
By Eygló Svala Arnarsdóttir.