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One of Us: The Story of a Massacre in Norway -- and Its Aftermath by Åsne Seierstad, Sarah Death
insertsthwitty's review against another edition
2.0
I’ve had Bookseller of Kabul on my reading list for a long while, having heard so many good things about it, and after reading this I’m going to remove it. That’s what I thought about One of Us, really.
It’s not that it’s not meticulously researched, because this phrase gets thrown around in reviews below for a good reason. Åsne Seierstad has done a staggering amount of research and interviewing to do this book. My main issue with this book is the writing style that just too often veers into mawkishness. The fact that what has happened is horrific, that it has changed the lives of so many people both directly and indirectly affected by the actions of just one man, doesn’t mean that the book that examines his life and the life of his victims can be so one-dimensional and trite. There, I said it.
I think it’s one of the less disputable facts of the world that what has happened feels profoundly unjust, so ridiculous, for someone to think he can murder so many people (to his eyes: guilty rather than innocent, how arrogant must you be to pronounce this judgement). So to write a book like this, you don’t necessarily have to repeat phrases in italics every so often, or intersperse paragraphs with one liners set to emphasise a point, as if the reader who chooses to pick up a 500 page long tome examining a terrorist attack is unable to retain information. I realise it’s meant to evoke a powerful emotional response, but it’s not a necessary manoeuvre. Anders Breivik murdered some 80 people, 69 on just one tiny island, most of which were teenagers. There is just no need for this.
There was just one section where I thought Åsne Seierstad delivers a powerful moment, and that’s where the rescue team moves on the island and they see the mobile phones light up in different places, all displaying the word Mum. And this was very well-timed, and well-written, and packed a punch.
There is also a similar problem with the substance of this book. I am not asking, as a reader, for anything unsavoury on the victims. But the lack of incisiveness is painful to read. It is amazing to name some of the victims, to follow their lives for a while, for them to be given a voice. There’s a profound sense of loss that I feel for each and every one of the people affected by this. But that’s one thing, and another thing is to infantilise everyone in order to elicit a response in the reader. Similarly with the examination of Anders Breivik, where Åsne Seierstad practices some self taught psychology which is painful to read. I was actually outraged by her section on online gaming and his childhood, and infuriated by her assuming his voice despite never even having spoken to him. She is ill-equipped to handle what she was implying and that is hands down the worst part of the book. The next one - her criticism of the state who mishandled the response. The critique is halting and hesitant. In the end, like with all other aspects of the book, it only half-delivers.
It’s not that it’s not meticulously researched, because this phrase gets thrown around in reviews below for a good reason. Åsne Seierstad has done a staggering amount of research and interviewing to do this book. My main issue with this book is the writing style that just too often veers into mawkishness. The fact that what has happened is horrific, that it has changed the lives of so many people both directly and indirectly affected by the actions of just one man, doesn’t mean that the book that examines his life and the life of his victims can be so one-dimensional and trite. There, I said it.
I think it’s one of the less disputable facts of the world that what has happened feels profoundly unjust, so ridiculous, for someone to think he can murder so many people (to his eyes: guilty rather than innocent, how arrogant must you be to pronounce this judgement). So to write a book like this, you don’t necessarily have to repeat phrases in italics every so often, or intersperse paragraphs with one liners set to emphasise a point, as if the reader who chooses to pick up a 500 page long tome examining a terrorist attack is unable to retain information. I realise it’s meant to evoke a powerful emotional response, but it’s not a necessary manoeuvre. Anders Breivik murdered some 80 people, 69 on just one tiny island, most of which were teenagers. There is just no need for this.
There was just one section where I thought Åsne Seierstad delivers a powerful moment, and that’s where the rescue team moves on the island and they see the mobile phones light up in different places, all displaying the word Mum. And this was very well-timed, and well-written, and packed a punch.
There is also a similar problem with the substance of this book. I am not asking, as a reader, for anything unsavoury on the victims. But the lack of incisiveness is painful to read. It is amazing to name some of the victims, to follow their lives for a while, for them to be given a voice. There’s a profound sense of loss that I feel for each and every one of the people affected by this. But that’s one thing, and another thing is to infantilise everyone in order to elicit a response in the reader. Similarly with the examination of Anders Breivik, where Åsne Seierstad practices some self taught psychology which is painful to read. I was actually outraged by her section on online gaming and his childhood, and infuriated by her assuming his voice despite never even having spoken to him. She is ill-equipped to handle what she was implying and that is hands down the worst part of the book. The next one - her criticism of the state who mishandled the response. The critique is halting and hesitant. In the end, like with all other aspects of the book, it only half-delivers.
brodan's review against another edition
5.0
Bravúrne spísaný prierez Breivikovým životom (ale aj životom a úspechmi niekoľkých jeho obetí), jeho chorým zmýšľaním, dlhých príprav k atentátu, ale aj samotným útokom na ostrove Utoya, z ktorého až behá mráz po chrbte. Prvýkrát sa mi stalo, že som musel pri čítaní knihy odvrátiť zrak, knihu odložiť a nachvíľu sa venovať iným myšlienkam.
lolthesunshine's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.5
meganarmweak's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.5
writeasiread's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
buttercupita's review against another edition
5.0
I read this 500+ page book quickly -- What kept the pages turning? 1. Honestly, there were parts that were so horrific, I could not dwell on them and had to read them quickly. 2. However, the book was written on such a clear eyed and human level, I was drawn in to each person's story and wanted to know more about them. 3. The book speaks to the debates we are having in the US over guns, alienation, mental illness, and immigration. It's fascinating to see how even Norway's much more highly developed social safety net could still not prevent this tragedy, and yet we see that these incidents don't occur on the regular basis we have become (sickeningly) accustomed to in the US. I highly recommend this book.
raven1971's review against another edition
4.0
The only reason I’m giving this book a 4 and not a 5 is that after 200 pages I was so confused and had no idea what oceans reading so I skipped to the epilogue … if the epilogue was actually the introduction it would’ve been 5.
kellytsak's review against another edition
4.0
One of Us, is an incredibly moving book about the terrible massacre that happened in Norway. It recounts the story leading up to and including the attack by Anders Breivik. The story is artfully told and is engaging, but entirely heart breaking. As a parent I struggled with the book in sections, and could only imagine the pain and terror that the families went though and still endure. Anders Breivik is clearly an unstable man and one wonders if he was removed from his mother earlier it may have averted this disaster, but wondering will never bring back the 77 dead and heal the injured. This book had me in tears on multiple occasions and I would recommend it absolutely for those interested in the events that occured and what lead to them happening. This book is a tough read but well worth the effort.
I would like to thank the reading room and the publisher for my copy
I would like to thank the reading room and the publisher for my copy