A review by azureye31
The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup

dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I am always up for an intense, dark, Scandinavian thriller, so that is what attracted me to this book. I am also aware that this particular author is also a screen writer and has had several successful series on television, so I was very curious, and excited to read a piece of his work.  
 
What worked:  
 
The author made good use of atmosphere to draw the reader in. The book felt very dark, and the descriptions of the surroundings added to this feeling of sinister (snowy, cold, gray Copenhagen). I also enjoyed the plot, and it did keep me, at times, on the edge of my seat. This book is a mixture of plot driven, and an attempt to be character driven with a very dark tone. 
 
The translation from Danish was very good, and did not appear to lose anything in the process. Nothing felt awkward or out of place. 
 
 
What didn’t work: 
 
I felt confused with the characters because there were so many, and the author did not do a good job of developing them.  None of them had a distinct voice, and I did not feel a sense of empathy for any of them.  It was purely plot that kept me engaged in the book, and not an attachment to any particular character.  The reader is given very little insight into any of them.  The author’s attempt at creating a character driven story, in my humble opinion, failed.  Had it not been for the very strong plot, I would have not stayed engaged. 
 
The author chose to write in third person, limited and the constant shifting of characters got confusing.  At times, the chapter would start out without any sense of who we were talking about, and three pages later the another would drop a hint.  It felt disorienting, and detracted from the story. 
 
The plot itself was very intense, and did keep me on edge, however some of it was a little unbelievable and could have been edited out.  This book was very long, but needlessly so. 
 
I am giving it 3 out of five stars.  
 

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