chronicvillainy's review against another edition
4.0
For more reviews, check out my blog: https://bookishvillainy.wordpress.com/2018/11/18/review-the-son-by-jo-nesbo/
Ah... revenge stories. I would hardly be the only one who finds them fascinating; I suppose we only have to look at the still popular The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, for instance. We all know killing is wrong and holding grudges or wishing bad people ill are hardly the most elegant personality traits. Still, watching a wronged person go about killing his enemies can be incredibly satisfying.
The Son is definitely a revenge story. Rotting away in prison, Sonny doesn't have much to live for beyond getting his next heroine fix. He's a model prisoner; he's quiet, he doesn't cause any problems in prison, and he listens to the confessions of his fellow inmates. He even takes the blame for various crimes in return for heroin. When he was young, his father has committed suicide after he was revealed to be a corrupt cop. However, when one prisoner's confession exposes the lie that Sonny has been told all his life: his father didn't commit suicide, he was betrayed and killed! The normally passive Sonny decides to break out of prison to take revenge.
Of course, discovering the truth behind the murder of his father and those responsible is not very straightforward. The identity of the mole who betrayed his father is a mystery that's never been solved.
What's interesting about this thriller, is that none of the scenes are written from Sonny's perspective. The point of view switches a lot, varying from aforementioned fellow inmate who confesses, to an involved cop, to bystanders, to Sonny's soon-to-be victims. This adds mystery and unpredictability to Sonny's character, as you don't know what he's thinking, or even what he's planning to do next. Rather than getting into his head, you're merely an outside observer. Though this risks creating too much distance, you do find yourself sympathizing with Sonny and rooting for him. Props to Nesbø for pulling this off!
There is also a second major protagonist: Simon Kefas. He's a cop who attempts to track Sonny down to protect him against the inevitable consequences of Sonny's actions. Sonny's father was none other than Simon's best friend and partner, after all, so he feels responsible to keep him safe. Despite the fact that Simon has good intentions, his perspective does reveal that he has his flaws. He's a very likable character despite, or maybe even because of, his weaknesses.
Unfortunately, this also brings me to an issue I had with this book. Simon is indeed a flawed character, but it's difficult to find any true faults with Sonny (other than his revenge quest, that is). I suppose this is a side effect of his character being viewed through the lens of other people, who either admire or fear him. Another side effect is that Sonny seems to pull off his revenge quest a little too easily. He not only manages to track down the people responsible for his father's death while being previously ignorant of it being anything else than suicide, he also succeeds in evading capture by both the authorities and the criminals that hunt him. I get that Sonny is very smart, but it's always a shame to require some suspension of disbelief in regards to the capabilities of the main character. I also felt that the romance wasn't interesting, even though it does give Sonny another purpose beyond taking revenge, which is at least nice.
Still, this was a very engaging thriller that kept me reading because I wanted to know the identity of the mole and what Sonny would do next! It was also satisfying to watch Sonny take his revenge, which, in the end, is the whole point of a revenge story.
Ah... revenge stories. I would hardly be the only one who finds them fascinating; I suppose we only have to look at the still popular The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, for instance. We all know killing is wrong and holding grudges or wishing bad people ill are hardly the most elegant personality traits. Still, watching a wronged person go about killing his enemies can be incredibly satisfying.
The Son is definitely a revenge story. Rotting away in prison, Sonny doesn't have much to live for beyond getting his next heroine fix. He's a model prisoner; he's quiet, he doesn't cause any problems in prison, and he listens to the confessions of his fellow inmates. He even takes the blame for various crimes in return for heroin. When he was young, his father has committed suicide after he was revealed to be a corrupt cop. However, when one prisoner's confession exposes the lie that Sonny has been told all his life: his father didn't commit suicide, he was betrayed and killed! The normally passive Sonny decides to break out of prison to take revenge.
Of course, discovering the truth behind the murder of his father and those responsible is not very straightforward. The identity of the mole who betrayed his father is a mystery that's never been solved.
What's interesting about this thriller, is that none of the scenes are written from Sonny's perspective. The point of view switches a lot, varying from aforementioned fellow inmate who confesses, to an involved cop, to bystanders, to Sonny's soon-to-be victims. This adds mystery and unpredictability to Sonny's character, as you don't know what he's thinking, or even what he's planning to do next. Rather than getting into his head, you're merely an outside observer. Though this risks creating too much distance, you do find yourself sympathizing with Sonny and rooting for him. Props to Nesbø for pulling this off!
There is also a second major protagonist: Simon Kefas. He's a cop who attempts to track Sonny down to protect him against the inevitable consequences of Sonny's actions. Sonny's father was none other than Simon's best friend and partner, after all, so he feels responsible to keep him safe. Despite the fact that Simon has good intentions, his perspective does reveal that he has his flaws. He's a very likable character despite, or maybe even because of, his weaknesses.
Unfortunately, this also brings me to an issue I had with this book. Simon is indeed a flawed character, but it's difficult to find any true faults with Sonny (other than his revenge quest, that is). I suppose this is a side effect of his character being viewed through the lens of other people, who either admire or fear him. Another side effect is that Sonny seems to pull off his revenge quest a little too easily. He not only manages to track down the people responsible for his father's death while being previously ignorant of it being anything else than suicide, he also succeeds in evading capture by both the authorities and the criminals that hunt him. I get that Sonny is very smart, but it's always a shame to require some suspension of disbelief in regards to the capabilities of the main character. I also felt that the romance wasn't interesting, even though it does give Sonny another purpose beyond taking revenge, which is at least nice.
Still, this was a very engaging thriller that kept me reading because I wanted to know the identity of the mole and what Sonny would do next! It was also satisfying to watch Sonny take his revenge, which, in the end, is the whole point of a revenge story.
marryallthepeople's review against another edition
4.0
I forget how much I enjoy the rich storytelling of Nesbo between reading his translated novels. And then I pick one up and remember all over again. So much better than some of the same genre ones that other novellists churn out. Then again, I did guess some twists but not others. Tis good!
jklkaas's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
syren1532's review
4.0
Really enjoyed this book. I'd previously read some of the Harry Hole series by Jo Nesbo but.not any of his stand alone books - will keep an eye out for more now.
jaclynday's review
3.0
I love Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole series so I was excited to check out this new stand-alone book. Unfortunately, I have mixed feelings about it. It KILLS me to say that because the characters are interesting. The action is exciting. The twists are fun. But this could have used some serious editing. It’s got a meandering problem and things wind up all over the place. Characters are introduced as if you should know who they are and then dispatched swiftly several pages later. It seems a little slapped together—we need to link X to Y, so let’s insert this chapter to help that make sense. The chemistry between some of the characters feels strange. Basically, the characters are most engaging when they’re on their own with no dialogue on the page. Yikes. Jo Nesbo is one of my favorite crime authors, but I found this only so-so compared to the other books of his I’ve read (I loved The Snowman).
kendrastrand's review
1.0
100% meh. DNF. I was planning on at least finishing it but the characters just kept getting more and more cliched, and I’m not willing to waste my time on that nonsense.
kchisholm's review against another edition
4.0
The second book I've read this year with a break out of jail plotline, which means nothing except in my mind. In THE SON, Sonny is a heroin addict, long term prisoner who escapes and goes on a retribution trail on behalf of his father. Simon Kefas is a police officer and husband haunted by his wife's infirmity. He's also the best friend of Sonny's father and the man most likely to see some connections in what seems like a series of unrelated murders.
There's no doubt whatsoever that readers are going to have to accept that a seemingly hopelessly addicted to heroin man, somebody who has been inside for 12 years, can somehow fathom a way to escape, enact that escape, and then deal with a much changed world on the outside whilst quite effectively hunting down and killing a range of people. On the one hand it makes sense as there's something supremely powerful about Sonny, and on the other hand there is possibly a dinging sort of a "what the" noise at the back of the head. There's also something about him that draws people to him - in jail he's a confessor for other prisoners. Out of jail there's something about him that even makes a hardened manager of a drug user safe haven trust him, fall for him. Change her life for him.
Certainly THE SON is testament to the authorship of Jo Nesbo. He writes great, strong, interesting and engaging characters. He puts them into strong and believable plots and then he stirs things up a lot. Whilst his main interest does appear to be the question of what a damaged human being can achieve (you'll probably recognise some of this if your a fan of his Harry Hole series), but he does that with a sympathetic touch. As always from Jo Nesbo, dark, introspective, thoughtful and fascinating.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/review-son-jo-nesbo
There's no doubt whatsoever that readers are going to have to accept that a seemingly hopelessly addicted to heroin man, somebody who has been inside for 12 years, can somehow fathom a way to escape, enact that escape, and then deal with a much changed world on the outside whilst quite effectively hunting down and killing a range of people. On the one hand it makes sense as there's something supremely powerful about Sonny, and on the other hand there is possibly a dinging sort of a "what the" noise at the back of the head. There's also something about him that draws people to him - in jail he's a confessor for other prisoners. Out of jail there's something about him that even makes a hardened manager of a drug user safe haven trust him, fall for him. Change her life for him.
Certainly THE SON is testament to the authorship of Jo Nesbo. He writes great, strong, interesting and engaging characters. He puts them into strong and believable plots and then he stirs things up a lot. Whilst his main interest does appear to be the question of what a damaged human being can achieve (you'll probably recognise some of this if your a fan of his Harry Hole series), but he does that with a sympathetic touch. As always from Jo Nesbo, dark, introspective, thoughtful and fascinating.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/review-son-jo-nesbo
blinchetko's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0