gmburrell's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
luxxen's review against another edition
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
alenaul's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The book is an easy read. There is not much murder or anything criminal happening and if it is it is not decribed in detail. All in all a good and suspenseful read with a not predictable ending!
li_chiii's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
ceciliabjorklund's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
2.25
ivanka's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
moatiger's review against another edition
3.0
3,5/5
I've started this book a lot of times but never made it to the end, but this time I did and I have to say I'm a bit disappointed, it did not live up to the rest of the book
I've started this book a lot of times but never made it to the end, but this time I did and I have to say I'm a bit disappointed, it did not live up to the rest of the book
stinajohanns's review against another edition
4.0
It is quite interesting to read a book where you question the main character's motives and even suspect him to actually be a bad person. Although I have to admit that I always expected twists and I never really believed him to bad. Was I right or was I wrong. I don't want to say because I want people to have their own thoughts and believes. The book is not perfect but it kept me going, waiting for more information, waiting to find out what all this was about. Why was Jan so obsessed with Rami? Was Rami in there? How did the killer fit into all of this? What were Hanna and Liljan up to? You just have to read the book to find out.
fictionfan's review against another edition
4.0
“That way madness lies…”
A slow-burn psychological thriller, the book starts with loner Jan Hauger applying to work in the pre-school that is attached to St Patricia’s psychiatric hospital, known to locals as St Psycho’s. From the beginning we know that Jan has reasons of his own for wanting to be close to the asylum – reasons that the author slowly reveals as he lets us see inside Jan’s head. St Patricia’s holds some of the most dangerous criminals in Sweden but security isn’t as tight as those in charge think. As Jan gets to know his colleagues he finds that, like himself, many of them have a fascination with what goes on inside…
The book is told in the third person but very much from Jan’s perspective. Cutting between present and past, we gradually discover what events in Jan’s troubled past have led him here. The other characters can accept him at face value as a pleasant young man who loves and is loved by the children in his care. But the reader knows that there are darker aspects to his personality and hidden incidents in his past. There is some moral ambiguity here – as we find out about his history, it is easy for the reader to empathise with Jan despite, rather than because of, his past actions and current intentions.
Theorin writes well and the translation by Marlaine Delargy is seamless; it’s easy to forget that this is a translation at all. The plot is well constructed and has some original aspects to it. However, the story is told very slowly and somehow that stopped the tension building as much as might have been expected given the subject matter. Jan is a believable character, a troubled soul who finds it difficult to make connections with the people around him. But the premise that so many of the characters connected with the hospital had ulterior motives for being there meant that in the end I found some elements of the story unconvincing – it seemed to rely too heavily on unlikely coincidences and circumstances.
Overall, though, I enjoyed the psychological aspects of the book and found Jan’s character interesting enough to make me want to know the outcome. And the end, when it finally came, was worth waiting for – morally ambiguous like much of the book and no less satisfying for that. Despite my criticisms, I found this a good read on the whole and will certainly look out for more of this author’s work. Recommended.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher via NetGalley.
A slow-burn psychological thriller, the book starts with loner Jan Hauger applying to work in the pre-school that is attached to St Patricia’s psychiatric hospital, known to locals as St Psycho’s. From the beginning we know that Jan has reasons of his own for wanting to be close to the asylum – reasons that the author slowly reveals as he lets us see inside Jan’s head. St Patricia’s holds some of the most dangerous criminals in Sweden but security isn’t as tight as those in charge think. As Jan gets to know his colleagues he finds that, like himself, many of them have a fascination with what goes on inside…
The book is told in the third person but very much from Jan’s perspective. Cutting between present and past, we gradually discover what events in Jan’s troubled past have led him here. The other characters can accept him at face value as a pleasant young man who loves and is loved by the children in his care. But the reader knows that there are darker aspects to his personality and hidden incidents in his past. There is some moral ambiguity here – as we find out about his history, it is easy for the reader to empathise with Jan despite, rather than because of, his past actions and current intentions.
Theorin writes well and the translation by Marlaine Delargy is seamless; it’s easy to forget that this is a translation at all. The plot is well constructed and has some original aspects to it. However, the story is told very slowly and somehow that stopped the tension building as much as might have been expected given the subject matter. Jan is a believable character, a troubled soul who finds it difficult to make connections with the people around him. But the premise that so many of the characters connected with the hospital had ulterior motives for being there meant that in the end I found some elements of the story unconvincing – it seemed to rely too heavily on unlikely coincidences and circumstances.
Overall, though, I enjoyed the psychological aspects of the book and found Jan’s character interesting enough to make me want to know the outcome. And the end, when it finally came, was worth waiting for – morally ambiguous like much of the book and no less satisfying for that. Despite my criticisms, I found this a good read on the whole and will certainly look out for more of this author’s work. Recommended.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher via NetGalley.