He Who Fears the Wolf

He Who Fears the Wolf (1997/2003) Karin Fossum translated by Felicity David

This is the second Inspector Sejer mystery, and once again, the story involves characters on the fringe, who are damaged or not normal.

Errki has decided to leave the asylum/institute where he has lived after being involuntarily committed as a danger to himself and possibly others, and the book opens with one of his hallucinations, and I’ll be honest, it’s rather upsetting. The idea of ones guts spilling out, and having to be scooped back up from the ground and shoved back inside is quite upsetting.

You immediately understand that Errki is not right. It’s a very personal look at mental illness and possibly one of the best descriptions I’ve come across.

But there are glimpses that make it relate-able.

He wants to do everything perfectly, and he’s so afraid of making a mistake that he has ended up unable to do anything at all.

You spend time with all the characters, not knowing who the murderer is, and not knowing what these characters are capable of.

Another interesting story, and I’m glad I grabbed these when they were on sale.
Rating: 8.5/10

Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

 
 

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