Thank you to the author for the print copy of The Prey in exchange for my honest review. I purchased the audiobook of The Night Guest for my collection.
Both these books were readalong picks for the #NordicNoir bookclub I’m part of and I am so glad we chose them! One was by a beloved author–Yrsa Sigurdardottir– and one was by a new-to-me to–Hildur Knutsdottir.
THE PREY by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
Published: October 21, 2023, Hodder & Stoughton (not yet released here in the States)
Summary:
THE FIRST PHONE CALL SHOCKS A FAMILY.
Kolbeinn has been called to his old home. The new owners uncovered some photos, and a muddied child’s shoe bearing the name ‘Salvor’. A name Kolbeinn doesn’t recognise. Soon after, he hears news of his mother’s deteriorating health. Her carers say she has been asking for her daughter, his Salvor.
THE SECOND TRACKS TWO MISSING COUPLES.
Jóhanna is working with the search and rescue team in Höfn to find two couples from Reykjavik. Their phones’ last location has been pinpointed to the road leading up into the highlands. In a harsh winter, the journey is treacherous, and they soon find the first body. More troubling, Johanna senses her team is being tracked through the snow.
A THIRD FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE?
Hjörvar works at the Stokksnes Radar Station in the highlands. He’s alone when the phone connected to the gate the first time it’s done so since he began working there five months ago. When he answeres, he can only hear interference, and what sounds like a child’s voice asking for her mother.
How are these events connected?
And what may be searching for its prey out on the ice?
My thoughts:
This is a chilling, haunting novel that kept me fully engaged from start to finish. While a bit of a slow-burn, I loved the way the different plot lines meander until they eventually merge. This book is tinged with horror elements and even a hint of the supernatural, making it feel quite plausible at times. It is also incredibly atmospheric.
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THE NIGHT GUEST by Hildur Knutsdottir
Published: September 3, 2024, Tor Nightfire / Macmillan Audio
Summary:
Hildur Knutsdottir’s The Night Guest is an eerie and ensnaring story set in contemporary Reykjavík that’s sure to keep you awake at night.
Iðunn is in yet another doctor’s office. She knows her constant fatigue is a sign that something’s not right, but practitioners dismiss her symptoms and blood tests haven’t revealed any cause.
When she talks to friends and family about it, the refrain is the same ― have you tried eating better? exercising more? establishing a nighttime routine? She tries to follow their advice, buying everything from vitamins to sleeping pills to a step-counting watch. Nothing helps.
Until one night Iðunn falls asleep with the watch on, and wakes up to find she’s walked over 40,000 steps in the night . . .
What is happening when she’s asleep? Why is she waking up with increasingly disturbing injuries? And why won’t anyone believe her?
My thoughts:
This is a wild one…I couldn’t listen to it fast enough and yet this novella creeped me out! It’s unsettling and definitely gets under your skin. Because of the ending–it is a bit ambiguous–this is definitely one you will want to discuss with others. I liked it and once I discussed it more with others, I liked it even more! This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I definitely plan on reading more by her!
Audio thoughts:
I listened to this one and it was narrated by the translator, Mary Robinette Kowal, who did a fantastic job bringing the story to life.
Have you read either of these two books or have you read any #NordicNoir books recently?
