lilly_haferkamp's review
4.0
Komplexer Handlungsverlauf um eine eigentlich simple Geschichte. Die simple Geschichte: Mann verrennt sich in seine Leidenschaft, der Erhaltung des elterlichen Hauses als eine Art Museum, und verstrickt sich in finanzielle Probleme. Diese simple Geschichte ist verwoben in mehrere Handlungsstränge, die mühelos ineinander greifen: die Familiengeschichte des Mannes, die weit zurück sowohl in die isländische als auch in die deutsche Vergangenheit führt; die Historie des Eisenbahnverkehrs in Island oder bessre des nicht vorhandenen Eisenbahnverkehrs; Tagebuchwiedergaben des Vaters; persönliche Entwicklungen im Ermittlerteam.
Lesenswert. Erfreulicher weise bekommt man durch die reiche Handlungsstruktur mehr als nur zwei Morde.
Lesenswert. Erfreulicher weise bekommt man durch die reiche Handlungsstruktur mehr als nur zwei Morde.
bgg616's review against another edition
3.0
This was another 3 1/2 star book for me. There was an interesting family story about a now-deceased ancestor obsessed with building a railroad in Iceland. This family and a current and past murder are at the center of the story. Monarchists and Nazis figure into the story, as well as family secrets.
markhoh's review against another edition
4.0
House of Evidence is actually a tragic saga where unrequited obsessions result in mental anguish, illness and ultimately devastating consequences. The novel is stand alone Nordic Noir, set in Iceland in the 1970s. It is written by Viktor Arnar Ingólfsson, and centres around multiple generations of the Kieler family, in particular, Jacob Senior, engineer obsessed with bringing railroad travel to Iceland and his son Jacob Junior, obsessed with preserving his family’s memory by turning his childhood home, Birkihlíð, into a museum.
The tragedy of the story is the inability of each man to turn their obsession into reality, particularly after the relentless investment that each of them had poured into these lifelong ambitions. The resulting mental health impacts highlight the fragility of wellbeing in the light of severe frustration, an inability to have dreams supported and ongoing disappointment.
House of Evidence tells multiple stories. Not only is the notion of obsession and mental health highlighted, so too is the tension around an Icelandic railway, political tensions between Germany and Western Europe across two world wars and sexuality in an era where persecution for difference was the norm.
Intriguingly, the story of Iceland’s railway, although fictional in this instance, seems to be rooted in some reality. There were proposals for railway systems in both the 1900s and 1920s. Road transport was ultimately favoured and plans for a railway in Iceland were abandoned in 1931. Interestingly, plans seem to be afoot yet again for a railway, 49 km long, between the International airport in Keflavík and the capital, Reykjavík. Construction is proposed to begin in 2022. according to https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/
House of Evidence is told in a couple of different voices. Each chapter commences with the here and now (that is in 1973 which is the year the book is set) and concludes with diary entries from Jacob Senior from the early to mid 1900s that give a unique insight to the history of the events that have unfolded in the present.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this story and look forward to reading further books by this author. 4 stars.
The tragedy of the story is the inability of each man to turn their obsession into reality, particularly after the relentless investment that each of them had poured into these lifelong ambitions. The resulting mental health impacts highlight the fragility of wellbeing in the light of severe frustration, an inability to have dreams supported and ongoing disappointment.
House of Evidence tells multiple stories. Not only is the notion of obsession and mental health highlighted, so too is the tension around an Icelandic railway, political tensions between Germany and Western Europe across two world wars and sexuality in an era where persecution for difference was the norm.
Intriguingly, the story of Iceland’s railway, although fictional in this instance, seems to be rooted in some reality. There were proposals for railway systems in both the 1900s and 1920s. Road transport was ultimately favoured and plans for a railway in Iceland were abandoned in 1931. Interestingly, plans seem to be afoot yet again for a railway, 49 km long, between the International airport in Keflavík and the capital, Reykjavík. Construction is proposed to begin in 2022. according to https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/
House of Evidence is told in a couple of different voices. Each chapter commences with the here and now (that is in 1973 which is the year the book is set) and concludes with diary entries from Jacob Senior from the early to mid 1900s that give a unique insight to the history of the events that have unfolded in the present.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this story and look forward to reading further books by this author. 4 stars.
herthrillingreads's review against another edition
It was just too slow paced and not keeping my attention.
joyfilledwander's review against another edition
2.0
"After everything else, it was simply their own obsessions that killed them," [p. 376]
Depression, intrigue, murder, cold, and obsession are words I'd use to describe Viktor Ingolfsson's House of Evidence. I was drawn into the cold and snowy world of Iceland, and then led down a rabbit hole I hoped had an ending. The plot was straightforward enough…a father and son were both murdered in the same room of the same house, over 30 years apart. But the deeper the mystery unfolded, the less I cared. The father's storyline was told through flashback diary entries, detailing his obsession to build Iceland's first national railroad. It defined everything he did, every decision he made, and when it never came to be, it was his undoing. And his own son, growing up in the shadow of a man he never really understood, lives to create a legacy for his family that will stand for generations. His obsession drives him to the breaking point as well. While I didn't find the railroad or monarchy [yeah, it's random] storyline compelling [and it's 60% of the book], what really through me for a loop was the last 10% [Kindle reader!]. From transgender & homosexuality to a needless death of a child, I felt less resolved by the end of the book than I would have liked. For a country I long to visit one day, this novel did nothing to inspire me to go. Here's hoping that the real Iceland is better than Viktor Ingolfsson's account.
Depression, intrigue, murder, cold, and obsession are words I'd use to describe Viktor Ingolfsson's House of Evidence. I was drawn into the cold and snowy world of Iceland, and then led down a rabbit hole I hoped had an ending. The plot was straightforward enough…a father and son were both murdered in the same room of the same house, over 30 years apart. But the deeper the mystery unfolded, the less I cared. The father's storyline was told through flashback diary entries, detailing his obsession to build Iceland's first national railroad. It defined everything he did, every decision he made, and when it never came to be, it was his undoing. And his own son, growing up in the shadow of a man he never really understood, lives to create a legacy for his family that will stand for generations. His obsession drives him to the breaking point as well. While I didn't find the railroad or monarchy [yeah, it's random] storyline compelling [and it's 60% of the book], what really through me for a loop was the last 10% [Kindle reader!]. From transgender & homosexuality to a needless death of a child, I felt less resolved by the end of the book than I would have liked. For a country I long to visit one day, this novel did nothing to inspire me to go. Here's hoping that the real Iceland is better than Viktor Ingolfsson's account.
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