Snare was the group's second trip to Iceland in less than seven months, somebody clearly has designs for a road trip! (Bagsie my name is first on the list!)
It was however Agla's character that interested me the most. How really it was Agla who was the one in the Snare, both at the bank and with Sonja and I loved how these two aspects developed throughout the pages. We naturally went on to discuss when is it OK to commit a crime? All of us found ourselves routing for Sonja although not necessarily liking her nor agreeing with what she was doing. Was it because she had a good reason (her son)? If she had been childless and just doing it to make ends meet would it be OK then? Is smuggling drugs to be sold to addicts better than falsely selling stocks and shares to line your pockets? Complex questions to be discussing over your lime and soda (wine) but it reflected the complex characters that Snare provided by the bucket load.
We all enjoyed reading about the drug smuggling (not sure what that says about us!) I presumed drugs were carried internally (too much TV watching clearly) and had no idea about the need for coffee, vacuum packs and alcohol wipes. A lot of research had clearly been carried out.
The group also loved the cat and mouse between Sonja and Bragi and would have liked more of this if possible. I loved Bragi and in particular found the moments between him and his wife equally sad and touching. The love still demonstrated was just beautiful and anyone in that position must relate to the loneliness he felt and the pain in knowing that the well being of your loved one is out of your hands.
Whereas Names for The Sea, our first venture in to Icelandic reads, was non fiction detailing life in Iceland for an English lecturer and her family, Snare is set around the (supposed) drug trade in Iceland, with protagonist Sonja being a mule for the underbelly of the most sparsely populated country in Europe.
Those of us at the meeting had all finished the book and remarked how easy it was to read, liking the lack of waffle and attributing this to the book being Icelandic (a common trait of Icelandic books apparently). We spent time discussing the book's three main characters Sonja, her lover Agla (who is not a lesbian) and customs officer Bragi. All of whom were not your standard protagonists.
Those of us at the meeting had all finished the book and remarked how easy it was to read, liking the lack of waffle and attributing this to the book being Icelandic (a common trait of Icelandic books apparently). We spent time discussing the book's three main characters Sonja, her lover Agla (who is not a lesbian) and customs officer Bragi. All of whom were not your standard protagonists.
I loved how Sonja wasn't necessarily a heroine. She was, at least initially, revealed to be responsible for the shocking end of her marriage and although slightly vague as to the reasons why, she didn't have full or even primary custody of her son. Not your standard caped wearing crusader then. The way she coolly dealt with smuggling the drugs into Iceland, shaving off a few grams here and there before delivering them showed an inner steel and a willingness to commit further crimes to better her interests.
We all enjoyed reading about the drug smuggling (not sure what that says about us!) I presumed drugs were carried internally (too much TV watching clearly) and had no idea about the need for coffee, vacuum packs and alcohol wipes. A lot of research had clearly been carried out.
The group also loved the cat and mouse between Sonja and Bragi and would have liked more of this if possible. I loved Bragi and in particular found the moments between him and his wife equally sad and touching. The love still demonstrated was just beautiful and anyone in that position must relate to the loneliness he felt and the pain in knowing that the well being of your loved one is out of your hands.
Away from the characters, the book was certainly tense especially as the plot unravelled. I won't spoil the reveals but there were some very excellent twists that we didn't guess beforehand which always goes down well.
The group scored it 7 with scores ranging as high as 9. Quite a few of us left our lime and sodas (wine) intent on reading the second in the trilogy, Trap, and if you check by here tomorrow I'm lucky enough to be on the Blog Tour for it!
The group scored it 7 with scores ranging as high as 9. Quite a few of us left our lime and sodas (wine) intent on reading the second in the trilogy, Trap, and if you check by here tomorrow I'm lucky enough to be on the Blog Tour for it!
The link to the book takes you to Imagined Things in Harrogate because a world without bookshops would be so sad indeed, so they cater for your every reading, writing and stationery need!
Next Book Of The Month is Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks. Yes, THE Tom Hanks.
P.S Special shout out to Quentin Bates who translated the book fantastically!
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