This novel is translated as stated… I am not an expert but for me that was one of the problems. The language is stilted at times and not expressed as I would expect. Translation is an art form also and this book needs editing. The plot is obvious but the characters are poorly described and it is difficult to relate to their stories. The author seems to have tackled too many themes.. racism… prejudice… small town idiosyncratic behavior.. alcoholism.. etc. As a murder mystery, it lacked pace and the ending was melodramatic.

Christoffer Carlsson is a well known author and criminologist professor in Sweden and becoming a name here in the US. His ability to articulate the motivations and illnesses of humans as well as the explaining the trauma of crime is unmatched.

In Under the Storm, a young woman is found murdered in a farmhouse that is burnt to the ground. Isak is a 10 year old bystander
and while his beloved uncle is found guilty, it's unclear if the case was truly solved. Carlsson addresses societal issues regarding who pays for a crime and for how long as he takes on a trip through Marbäck, a town attempting to bounce back after a violent crime.
#UnderThestorm #ChristofferCarlsson #randomhouse

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Christopher Carlsson's Under the Storm delivers a disturbingly delicious crime novel that provides you with a tantalizing buffet of food for thought...

Are we doomed to develop into that criminal who society is all too certain we will become?

Or, convicted by a court, regardless of the details (such as: was the verdict correct) and, as time passes, does anyone care if justice was done, as long as someone is paying the price demanded by society? Do issues such as guilt and innocence continue to matter when your future is forever restricted to residing in a bleak tiny cell, attempting to continue surviving only to wake daily to the realization that you are trapped in a "ground hog's day" from hell, the incarcerated edition...

As this atmospheric moody contemplation of a crime unfolded,
I was reminded that people are not as unique as we would like to believe, the small-minded neighbors in this Swedish crime novel instantly brought memories of my youth (raised as a Quaker in rural Iowa, nonetheless) immediately to the forefront of my mind.

Until next time, I hope you take the opportunity to read this literary masterpiece of a crime novel...