"The mere idea of a decades-old murder in a partially abandoned tuberculosis sanatorium is fascinating, but it gets absolutely irresistible once that sanatorium is in Iceland. The mostly empty halls of a place that saw decades of suffering and death, all among the snowy chill 鈥� you can鈥檛 ask for a better setting.

But J贸nasson focuses more on the characters than the setting. A brand-new criminologist Helgi working on a thesis about the unsolved murders in a former tuberculosis sanatorium in the 1980s 鈥� his efforts to interview the people involved for the thesis lead to old information being re-examined through new, less partial eyes, all while unsettling darkness lurks in the background of his personal life. A nurse at the sanatorium, Tinna, who is in the habit of exaggerating the events to seem more important and to pursue her own means 鈥� an example of little lies becoming a bigger menace. Not to mention a caretaker who鈥檚 easily singled out for being an easy target, a doctor with a shady past, another doctor whose suicide may be very convenient for the detectives, and three nurses, one of whom is the victim of the gruesome murder under investigation. Some are better drawn (Tinna is delightfully relatable and repugnant at the same time), some are bare sketches, but all together they feel like a classic murder mystery cast 鈥� which seems to be the point.

It鈥檚 slow and steady and is mostly moving along via interviews with former suspects and witnesses, which does not raise the level of suspense a lot 鈥� other than a couple of scenes (both with Tinna) that conveyed a very real sense of relatable unease. And there鈥檚 that something about the cadence of the narration (which, admittedly, may be an artifact of the translation) that gave it a different feel, more classic and timeless while at the same time creating a slight sense of a distance from the story. I was very aware of being a spectator in this, and yet it was not offputting whatsoever. But that sense of distance did somewhat diminish the emotional effect of it, making it a bit more clinical than visceral.

The impact of tuberculosis in Iceland was interesting for me to read. There indeed was a tuberculosis sanatorium in Akureyri during the time of 鈥淲hite Death鈥� epidemic, and in such a small country thousands of people died.

This is the second book by Ragnar J贸nasson I鈥檝e read, and not the last. Although I didn鈥檛 quite fully love this one, there鈥檚 something about the mood and the rhythms of the narration that speaks to me, and I鈥檓 definitely going to try more.

3.5 stars.

鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌�
Also posted on .
"

"This is less the story of Rin Tin Tin (and his offspring) than of the man that owned him鈥nd after that, of the men and women that sought to preserve the memory of him. I am a sucker for dog books, but since dogs don鈥檛 talk, one must be satisfied with stories of their owners. Just as Marley and Me was not so much the story of the dog than of John Grogan and his family, so Rin Tin Tin must be imagined through this book and the massive archive of film footage of him and his chosen successors.

What struck me from the century of history behind the name of Rin Tin Tin鈥攖he first dog with the name was born in 1918 in war-torn France鈥攚as how the first man to own him, Lee Duncan, never seemed to develop the same kind of love for any dog of the same name that followed. None had that unique set of qualities that so endeared Rinty to his owner in the first place. But a huge industry rose and fell on the tide of public opinion through the war years and after, carried on and on by men with more conviction than talent, more hubris than humility. When, many times, the rights to the Rin Tin Tin name could be passed on profitably to keep the flame alive, it was often sequestered and squandered, its value magnified to untenable proportions.

Susan Orlean must have wondered many times how she had gotten herself into this project. It required long, deep dives into the lives of obsessives, and it leaves one feeling slightly deranged and breathless to think that the story of that talented canine comes from the dark recesses of neglected warehouses and lives warped to fit the myth. I listened to the audio of this book, and I had to laugh at how many times I was sure the story was over鈥攂y her telling and the inflection in her voice--only to hear another section declaring itself on my mobile device. The name of Rinty was resurrected so many times under such improbable circumstances, that one simply has to credit the wild imaginations of the rights-holders, and one feels a little sorry that the original great Rinty is not alive to be celebrated.
"

"I really liked it. I鈥檓 not a mother but I play one on TV. No not really. But I鈥檓 a nanny and babysitter. I see a lot of kids and how annoying they can be and I see a lot of moms who give of themselves, of their bodies, until they鈥檙e a shadow of their former selves. Seemingly. So I thought this was a good book. And a great reminder of why you should sleep train your kids even though it feels unpleasant for a week or two 鈥� so that you can have a life where you don鈥檛 want to die every night/naptime. And so that you can hire a babysitter without having to check for texts about how it鈥檚 going, getting your kids to bed. It鈥檚 also good for the kid, truly. They鈥檒l sleep more and better. Trust me! I鈥檓 a doctor! No not really. ANYWAY! I鈥檓 pro-this-book. Highly recommended for feminist moms and for dog lovers. Cats and bunnies would hate this book. "