I Am Never Trusting Anyone Again Snowman
Re-Read Volume Review: THE SNOWMAN by Jo Nesbø
THE SNOWMAN by Jo Nesb ø
Knopf; Movie Tie-In Edition 9/26/17
CBTB Rating: 5 +++/5 (favorite volume!)
The Verdict: gritty & gripping Nordic Noir with a cinematic edge
Jo Nesbø's Harry Pigsty series is without a doubt my all-time favorite. Of this serial, THE SNOWMAN (Book 7) has been my favorite serial installment (and book in general!) for years now. Then naturally, when the news broke that this volume would be adapted into a moving-picture show starring Michael Fassbender, I had to celebrate! In that spirit, I spent the calendar month of September leading a virtual book club for this brilliant read in anticipation of the movie's release this calendar month. It was so much fun discussing THE SNOWMAN both with Nesbø newcomers and longstanding fans alike! I was utterly diddled away past the reception this book order received; not only did I have a fantastic agglomeration of readers to hash out the book with, but my social media has been flooded with photos of Nesbø books from around the world - a choice of which you lot tin view at the bottom of this post!
Because this wasn't my starting time time reading THE SNOWMAN, this won't be a traditional review - only I do want to highlight for y'all the reasons that THE SNOWMAN is my all-fourth dimension favorite book, and share a bit about my experience re-reading this book that I love so much! PLUS: this mail service as well features an "FAQ's" section on the virtually common questions I receive about THE SNOWMAN - and my responses!
THE SNOWMAN moving-picture show adaptation releases in the UK tomorrow (10/13/17), and in the US on 10/20/17.
Plot Summary:
One night, afterward the first snow of the year, a boy named Jonas wakes up and discovers that his mother has disappeared. Just ane trace of her remains: a pink scarf, his Christmas gift to her, now worn by the snowman that inexplicably appeared in their yard earlier that 24-hour interval. Inspector Harry Hole suspects a link between the missing woman and a suspicious letter he'southward received. The case deepens when a blueprint emerges: over the past decade, eleven women have vanished—all on the day of the first snow. But this is a killer who makes his own rules . . . and he'll break his pattern just to keep the game interesting, as he draws Harry always closer into his twisted web. With brilliantly realized characters and hair-raising suspense, international bestselling author Jo Nesbø presents his about chilling instance yet—one that will test Harry Hole to the very limits of his sanity.
I desire to preface this whole review by saying: I am not a re-reader. When I notice a book I love, I enjoy every single page, perchance re-reading passages in the moment—but once that experience is over, it's over for me. I don't want anything to mess upward the magic of that start read, so I just don't re-read. Instead, I prefer to learn more than most the writer and inspiration backside the story—or collect tons of editions of that book! Anything I can do to immerse myself in the writer'due south globe, I will (for case, I even went to Oslo and visited the fundamental locations from Nesboø's Harry Hole serial!)—I just don't want anything to spoil that perfect starting time reading experience. Suffice it to say, when I decided to re-read of THE SNOWMAN in anticipation of its movie release, I felt a flake of trepidation. It's not that I had whatsoever dubiety in Nesbø every bit a storyteller—I've read every single one of his books, and know exactly what he's capable of as an author. (He is my favorite author, after all!) But I had this irrational business organization: what if I didn't experience that same bit of magic that fabricated me so devoted to this particular book within the Harry Hole serial years ago? That inexplicable, fleeting perfection of reading a book that you know will forever exist a favorite—does that feeling merely happen when you lot're reading a favorite book for the first time?
I had nothing to worry about - my take chances into re-reading only couldn't accept gone better. Re-reading THE SNOWMAN was just as gripping, immersive, and utterly chilling as I could have hoped it would be; in fact, re-reading it this time around with my reviewer lens on gave me a whole new appreciation for only what makes this book so vivid. That "perfect reading feel" feeling was very much still there—in fact, information technology might have been fifty-fifty stronger this time around. I knew it on a gut level when I first read THE SNOWMAN, just subsequently two years spent reading and reviewing solely crime fiction, if anything I fell even harder for this story than I had before. Nesbo's storytelling mastery is evident in every folio and every sentence of this outstanding crime novel.
The Harry Hole books are superior police procedurals with a pitch-perfect blend of cinematic action and heartfelt grapheme development, and THE SNOWMAN is the finest work from an author who is, merely put, corking. But what exactly stood out to me during my re-read?
- Nesb ø is does non rely on gimmicky "twists" or "reveals." Yes, of course there is an ultimate reveal of The Snowman'south true identity, but going into this volume already knowing that upshot did non take away from my reading feel in the least. Nesbø'south books never rely on those "out of left field" twists, where you know there's simply no way y'all could have pieced together the truth on your own. Nesbø's writing is methodical and detail-oriented; knowing the killer's identity from the get-become really highlighted for me the mastery of Nesbø's plotting, and immune me to see the subtle hints that I totally, completely missed on my commencement read of this volume. Nesbø manages create a trail of very logical breadcrumbs to lead readers to the killer… and yet he'southward also brilliant at concealing these clues just enough to keep y'all in the night.
- Nesb ø's character development is unparalleled. It goes without saying that the story's principal characters are superb: if you're looking for a character who is multifaceted, troubled, sometimes frustrating, and always totally endearing, it simply doesn't get amend than Harry Hole. What also struck me during this re-read is only how developed even the story's "minor" characters are. In fact, I say "minor" in quotes because it doesn't quite feel correct to say that about any of the characters Nesbø puts forth in THE SNOWMAN—they each bring a unique element to the story, and 1 of them in item (the mold human being - see my FAQ'due south below!) has even prompted massive debate among Nesbø readers.
- This book achieves that elusive balance between cinematic, activity-packed thrills and methodical constabulary procedural—a total testament to Nesbø as a writer. THE SNOWMAN is injected with a darkness that is genuinely spooky (in i interview, Nesbø explains how this book about comes close to having horror elements in it), yet it also manages to simultaneously deliver a really excellent procedural with all the detailed investigative work that readers of this way of crime novel would expect. Striking this balance is no easy task, and Nesbø's ability to evangelize such a seamless blend is really outstanding. It's this balance that offset made me and so captivated by THE SNOWMAN, but during my re-read (and later on having read and reviewed what must now exist hundreds of crime books since my first read of THE SNOWMAN,) I was struck once more past what an outstanding and widely-appealing genre-bend this thriller represents.
To sum this up: THE SNOWMAN is a brilliant piece of crime fiction, a masterful procedural, an unmissable character written report, and a must-read.
FAQ's:
I receive a ton of questions from readers about the Harry Pigsty books daily - well-nigh of them focused on THE SNOWMAN. Beneath are the questions I go almost often, and my responses! Please feel free to contact me if you take any boosted questions - I am all ears.
THE SNOWMAN is Volume 7 in the Harry Hole series. Is it okay to read this volume equally a standalone?
Yeah, yous can read this book as a standalone. That existence said, of class it's always preferable to read a series in its intended order; there will be elements of character backstory or overarching series developments that you won't know about if you start with this book, but the investigation central to THE SNOWMAN is a standalone, so it'south totally doable! Many of the readers I've spoken with have done exactly this, and found it totally readable on its own.
Should I read the book before I run into the moving picture?
Yes!!! Absolutely. I'm always an advocate for reading books before seeing their motion-picture show adaptations, but I call up this is especially true with a crime novel. So much of what makes Nesbø's Harry Pigsty series so astonishing is witnessing principal character Harry'due south thought process as he puts together the pieces of the story'due south fundamental mystery - I would personally highly recommend experiencing this without whatsoever spoilers that the movie volition inevitably requite away! However, if you do end up watching the flick first, never fear - I'm confident it will still exist worth your fourth dimension to read the volume of THE SNOWMAN as well. Nesbø'due south writing is absolutely fantastic - information technology'due south atmospheric and transportive, and even when yous know the story'south ultimate upshot (similar I did during my re-read!), there is still and so much to capeesh and beloved almost this book. Plus, there are e'er differences betwixt books and their flick adaptations, so I'm sure yous'll have fun trying to spot those!
I read THE SNOWMAN as a standalone, and I want to keep reading Nesbo'southward books. Which book should I pick upwards side by side?
For a full explanation of my thoughts on this topic, I would recommend checking out my Beginner's Guide to Jo Nesbø. In short, afterward reading THE SNOWMAN you accept 2 options. You can (and I would recommend this i!) first from the beginning of the series and read your way through - merely (and this is explained in more than item in that Beginner'due south Guide), I ofttimes recommend starting with Book 3, THE REDBREAST, rather than Volume 1, THE BAT. Books 1 & 2 in the Harry Hole series are quite different, and are not the all-time representation of the absolute brilliance that the remainder of the series has to offer! (Granted, Nesbø's "less-adept" books are still so much better than lots of crime fiction out there.) Personally, I was hooked on this serial by the catastrophe of THE REDBREAST, so I'd recommend starting in that location if yous're keen to showtime at the get-go of the serial. Your other option (which will totally work, simply won't give you the fullest sense of Harry as a grapheme) is to continue with the series from THE SNOWMAN on. (Your reading order will be: THE LEOPARD, PHANTOM, Police force, THE THIRST).
And concluding just non least, from readers who Accept read the volume: What the actual heck is the deal with the "mold man" in this book?!
This is one of my favorite topics to discuss, and if you do a quick Google search you will notice that I'm most definitely not lonely in this!! Nesbø fans from all over the world take tried puzzling this one out. (If you lot haven't read the book however, no worries - there are no spoilers here.) My personal opinion is that the "mold man" is a representation of the paranoia and hidden secrets that infest Harry's life in THE SNOWMAN. No spoilers hither, just if you've read this book y'all will know that there are a lot of "rotten" things harming Harry'south life from the within out - whether that'southward in personal relationships or in his ain boxing with his inner demons. My re-read of THE SNOWMAN reaffirmed my personal belief in this theory. That being said, I retrieve the only person who knows the correct answer to this would be Nesbø himself! (Jo, if you're reading this, we need to talk this through…)
Reader Photo Gallery
And last merely certainly not least—I am so fortunate to exist in daily contact with readers from around the world who are diving into Jo Nesbø's books for the first time! Below is a picayune photograph gallery sharing merely a few of the many wonderful Nesbø photos I receive. (Note that these photos do not belong to me - I'yard just sharing them in appreciation! Photo credit goes to the corresponding Instagram account reflected in each photograph.)Many, many thanks to the readers who participated in my book club for THE SNOWMAN and who have shared these Nesbø photos with me on social media - y'all guys accept been outstanding in your enthusiasm and support! I am and then appreciative of each and every one of you. Hither's to you guys, and to Jo Nesbø'south outstanding books!
Thank y'all again to anybody who participated in my volume club for THE SNOWMAN! I am beyond excited to see the pic adaptation of this book next week. I would love to hear from you if you have any questions or comments, either well-nigh this book or its movie adaptation! twenty A
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Source: http://crimebythebook.com/blog/2017/10/11/review-the-snowman-by-jo-nesbo
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