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A review by magnetgrrl
Icelander by Dustin Long
1.0
This book had so many elements that I love - metanalysis, examination of genre - specifically the mystery genre, farce, mythology, Iceland.... that it's been tough to figure out why it was such an utter disappointment.
Then I realized this was put out by the McSweeney's crew, who I am consistently disappointed with. They're never as funny or as clever as they think they are or they appear to be, judging from the adulation of fans.
There was a sort of meta- thing trying to happen - some kind of nascent attempt at a self-critical mystery about the mystery genre - that just was not coming off right. There were a lot of footnotes; a somewhat annoying if not inherently pretentious tactic that's sadly becoming quite popular lately and one which I've seen used before to better effect. None of the characters were interesting, realistic, likeable, or even that smart. Nor were they funny, despite what I can only assume to be attempts to make them so (especially in the case of the "metaphysical detectives" who struck me as poor knock-offs of simultaneously Croup and Vandemar from Neverwhere and the existential detectives in I Heart Huckabee's.) I think part of this might be that the characters were less supposed to be people and more supposed to fill typical mystery 'roles' or some kind of Archtypes, but that falls pretty flat. I'm kind of ashamed, actually, that this book is even associated with Iceland. Lots of liberties were taken with the mythology as well as the ... feel of Iceland as a place, and its people.
Then I realized this was put out by the McSweeney's crew, who I am consistently disappointed with. They're never as funny or as clever as they think they are or they appear to be, judging from the adulation of fans.
There was a sort of meta- thing trying to happen - some kind of nascent attempt at a self-critical mystery about the mystery genre - that just was not coming off right. There were a lot of footnotes; a somewhat annoying if not inherently pretentious tactic that's sadly becoming quite popular lately and one which I've seen used before to better effect. None of the characters were interesting, realistic, likeable, or even that smart. Nor were they funny, despite what I can only assume to be attempts to make them so (especially in the case of the "metaphysical detectives" who struck me as poor knock-offs of simultaneously Croup and Vandemar from Neverwhere and the existential detectives in I Heart Huckabee's.) I think part of this might be that the characters were less supposed to be people and more supposed to fill typical mystery 'roles' or some kind of Archtypes, but that falls pretty flat. I'm kind of ashamed, actually, that this book is even associated with Iceland. Lots of liberties were taken with the mythology as well as the ... feel of Iceland as a place, and its people.