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rebeccaariss's review
5.0
Wow.
This was my first time really reading a thriller/mystery novel from end to end, and it did not disappoint. In fact, I'm going to have to suppress the impulse to read another book in the thriller/mystery genres for a little while because I'm not sure that the next one will live up to The Girl Without Skin.
I so appreciate the amount of research and planning that went into this book. Every single loose end was tied up with immaculate attention to detail, plenty of Easter eggs scattered throughout for the reader to guess at the resolution, and the title holds a significance that is much more subtle than you might assume (thankfully...). I found myself completely absorbed and immersed in Greenland's landscape and culture. I read this book during COVID-19, initially wondering if that was really a good idea, but despite the darker themes I enjoyed being launched into an intriguing criminal investigation and the peaceful yet complicated setting.
This book bears comparison to the Millennium series (the title; Tuparnaaq's character both physically [with the tattoos and all-around badass image] and mentally [again with the badass image, resolve, intelligence, and history of trauma]; Scandinavian/Nordic lifestyles & names; and the focus on violence against women), but don't let that stop you from reading this brilliant story.
I believe The Girl Without Skin raises some important questions. Like: in the '70s, if Nuuk had access to archival cross-referencing and the resources for fingerprint/DNA analysis, would Jakob have been able to close the case there and then? We see that Nuuk is limited in resources. But I don't believe that the story would have changed even with access to such technology. Technology has yet to eliminate corruption. And so we see how small communities governed by outsiders are extremely vulnerable still today.
I really feel that Nordbo is a great ally to women. I am always skeptical of men (especially white men) who find themselves in a position to write about misogyny and violence towards women and Indigenous people, however, after reading his words I believe that he has made a dedicated effort to understand the nuances of life under oppression and violence. He understands the complicated systems of hierarchy and government-subsidized corruption that allow oppression and violence to continue. It's in the way that Tuparnaaq covers up her sisters' bodies because she can't bear to see them exploited in death beyond what they have already experienced in life. It's in the way that the aggression and inherent male-ness of police officers further traumatizes women. It's in the way that women's corpses are photographed and publicized while men are given the dignity of photos taken in life. It's in the way that a small-town newspaper cannot publish information that disparages the same people who keep the paper in print.
I believe that Tuparnaaq is the girl without skin: even when she is naked, she is never truly naked as every inch of her body is covered in tattoos.
I love that we never really find out who Matthew's father is (at least as far as I have understood) because it doesn't really matter. The men are not the focus of the story. This is not one man's struggle to understand himself and his daddy issues (although he certainly does have his own trauma and issues). This about a man who chooses to set aside his own issues for a greater cause. This is about the struggle to elevate the stories of women that very frequently go unheard, and what we find is that while the women are perfectly capable of kicking ass all on their own, men can be essential allies.
I also want to mention how much I admire the work of the translator Charlotte Barslund. I find myself wishing I could speak more than one language and fantasizing about a career that involves reading books, working with authors, and researching the best words to represent the author's intent. I hope that Mads Peder Nordbo's other novels will be translated to English in the future!
This was my first time really reading a thriller/mystery novel from end to end, and it did not disappoint. In fact, I'm going to have to suppress the impulse to read another book in the thriller/mystery genres for a little while because I'm not sure that the next one will live up to The Girl Without Skin.
I so appreciate the amount of research and planning that went into this book. Every single loose end was tied up with immaculate attention to detail, plenty of Easter eggs scattered throughout for the reader to guess at the resolution, and the title holds a significance that is much more subtle than you might assume (thankfully...). I found myself completely absorbed and immersed in Greenland's landscape and culture. I read this book during COVID-19, initially wondering if that was really a good idea, but despite the darker themes I enjoyed being launched into an intriguing criminal investigation and the peaceful yet complicated setting.
This book bears comparison to the Millennium series (the title; Tuparnaaq's character both physically [with the tattoos and all-around badass image] and mentally [again with the badass image, resolve, intelligence, and history of trauma]; Scandinavian/Nordic lifestyles & names; and the focus on violence against women), but don't let that stop you from reading this brilliant story.
I believe The Girl Without Skin raises some important questions. Like: in the '70s, if Nuuk had access to archival cross-referencing and the resources for fingerprint/DNA analysis, would Jakob have been able to close the case there and then? We see that Nuuk is limited in resources. But I don't believe that the story would have changed even with access to such technology. Technology has yet to eliminate corruption. And so we see how small communities governed by outsiders are extremely vulnerable still today.
I really feel that Nordbo is a great ally to women. I am always skeptical of men (especially white men) who find themselves in a position to write about misogyny and violence towards women and Indigenous people, however, after reading his words I believe that he has made a dedicated effort to understand the nuances of life under oppression and violence. He understands the complicated systems of hierarchy and government-subsidized corruption that allow oppression and violence to continue. It's in the way that Tuparnaaq covers up her sisters' bodies because she can't bear to see them exploited in death beyond what they have already experienced in life. It's in the way that the aggression and inherent male-ness of police officers further traumatizes women. It's in the way that women's corpses are photographed and publicized while men are given the dignity of photos taken in life. It's in the way that a small-town newspaper cannot publish information that disparages the same people who keep the paper in print.
I believe that Tuparnaaq is the girl without skin: even when she is naked, she is never truly naked as every inch of her body is covered in tattoos.
I love that we never really find out who Matthew's father is (at least as far as I have understood) because it doesn't really matter. The men are not the focus of the story. This is not one man's struggle to understand himself and his daddy issues (although he certainly does have his own trauma and issues). This about a man who chooses to set aside his own issues for a greater cause. This is about the struggle to elevate the stories of women that very frequently go unheard, and what we find is that while the women are perfectly capable of kicking ass all on their own, men can be essential allies.
I also want to mention how much I admire the work of the translator Charlotte Barslund. I find myself wishing I could speak more than one language and fantasizing about a career that involves reading books, working with authors, and researching the best words to represent the author's intent. I hope that Mads Peder Nordbo's other novels will be translated to English in the future!
kcfromaustcrime's review
4.0
Opening with a breathtaking first-person account of the car accident that killed Matthew Cave's wife and unborn daughter, THE GIRL WITHOUT SKIN isn't as straight-forward an undertaking for fans of Nordic Noir as it might seem.
Early on in the novel you're going to find yourself ticking off the required elements list. Awful personal tragedy; man lost in grief and lacking direction; isolation in a cold and inhospitable location; tension between different groups of people; local indigenous stories and customs; bone-chilling cold and weather creating a closed room setting; an outsider finding his way in a strange location; and since the advent of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, a loner, slightly weird, off-sider who is more of an outsider than the outsider who is the central cornerstone of this story.
In this case - Matthew Cave serves as the sufferer of the personal tragedy; the grief-stricken outsider in a strange place - a journalist from Denmark who finds himself in Greenland initially writing a story about the discovery of a mummified Norseman pushed up from a glacier, which rapidly turns into a current day murder. Which then reaches back into recent history and a series of cold-case murders that were never solved. The role of loner has been allocated to Greenlandic woman Tupaarnaq, recently released from jail for the murder of her entire family (except her brother), she's tough, stand-offish, less of an off-sider and more of the central protagonist at points through the story. She's the source of the title of the novel as well - covered in tattoos, she's seemingly without skin. Add to that a town that's isolated, a current day murder that's occurred on the ice shelf outside town, cold, snowy, inclement weather, the implications of the manner in which the killings happened, and the tension between the local Greenlandic people and the Danes and you have your list of required elements. Add to that the enigma of the character of Tupaarnaq, the complications of Cave's own father, and there is potential for some readers to get the distinct feeling we've been here before.
In many ways, dedicated readers of Nordic (Scandi) noir have been here before. There are many elements that seem to echo The Dragon Tattoo series in particular closely, and this novel is digging its way into societal problems, and the sorts of dark, deep secrets within families that make your stomach churn and your teeth grind. Although THE GIRL WITHOUT SKIN is less of the why than we've come to expect from many of the analytical psychological thriller versions around.
Which is making it sound like THE GIRL WITHOUT SKIN is a bit of the same-old-same-old. Which for the first third of the novel it was starting to feel like the case, until at some point it became hard to step away from. There was much to learn here about the cultural tensions and differences between Danes and the local Greenlanders. There is much intrigue about where Tupaarnaq and Cave are heading, and how they will both adjust to lives that have dished up a lot of hard blows. It was interesting to see that the domestic and authority blindness that lead to abuse of children and violence within families happens in all sorts of places and cultures, and it was good to know that there are some good people in all dark places.
Ultimately what THE GIRL WITHOUT SKIN did deliver was potential for what's likely to happen next. Just because it's got a list of required elements doesn't mean they weren't delivered well, making this an extremely readable and intriguing book.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/girl-without-skin-mads-peder-nordbo
Early on in the novel you're going to find yourself ticking off the required elements list. Awful personal tragedy; man lost in grief and lacking direction; isolation in a cold and inhospitable location; tension between different groups of people; local indigenous stories and customs; bone-chilling cold and weather creating a closed room setting; an outsider finding his way in a strange location; and since the advent of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, a loner, slightly weird, off-sider who is more of an outsider than the outsider who is the central cornerstone of this story.
In this case - Matthew Cave serves as the sufferer of the personal tragedy; the grief-stricken outsider in a strange place - a journalist from Denmark who finds himself in Greenland initially writing a story about the discovery of a mummified Norseman pushed up from a glacier, which rapidly turns into a current day murder. Which then reaches back into recent history and a series of cold-case murders that were never solved. The role of loner has been allocated to Greenlandic woman Tupaarnaq, recently released from jail for the murder of her entire family (except her brother), she's tough, stand-offish, less of an off-sider and more of the central protagonist at points through the story. She's the source of the title of the novel as well - covered in tattoos, she's seemingly without skin. Add to that a town that's isolated, a current day murder that's occurred on the ice shelf outside town, cold, snowy, inclement weather, the implications of the manner in which the killings happened, and the tension between the local Greenlandic people and the Danes and you have your list of required elements. Add to that the enigma of the character of Tupaarnaq, the complications of Cave's own father, and there is potential for some readers to get the distinct feeling we've been here before.
In many ways, dedicated readers of Nordic (Scandi) noir have been here before. There are many elements that seem to echo The Dragon Tattoo series in particular closely, and this novel is digging its way into societal problems, and the sorts of dark, deep secrets within families that make your stomach churn and your teeth grind. Although THE GIRL WITHOUT SKIN is less of the why than we've come to expect from many of the analytical psychological thriller versions around.
Which is making it sound like THE GIRL WITHOUT SKIN is a bit of the same-old-same-old. Which for the first third of the novel it was starting to feel like the case, until at some point it became hard to step away from. There was much to learn here about the cultural tensions and differences between Danes and the local Greenlanders. There is much intrigue about where Tupaarnaq and Cave are heading, and how they will both adjust to lives that have dished up a lot of hard blows. It was interesting to see that the domestic and authority blindness that lead to abuse of children and violence within families happens in all sorts of places and cultures, and it was good to know that there are some good people in all dark places.
Ultimately what THE GIRL WITHOUT SKIN did deliver was potential for what's likely to happen next. Just because it's got a list of required elements doesn't mean they weren't delivered well, making this an extremely readable and intriguing book.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/girl-without-skin-mads-peder-nordbo
marilynw's review
4.0
Publisher's description of the book:
When a mummified Viking corpse is discovered on Greenland ice sheet, journalist Matthew Cave is sent out to report on the finding. The next day, the mummy has disappeared. The body of the police guard lies on the ice naked and flayed, echoing a gruesome series of unsolved murders from many years earlier. With no faith in the police, the only person Matthew dares to trust is a young Greenlandic woman who, at fourteen years old, was charged with killing her father in the same shocking manner. Nordbo has staked out a new frontier in Nordic Crime, setting his story against the forbidding beauty of Greenland.
**********************************
A warning to anyone who is interested in reading this book...the number of flayed, gutted, bodies rises during this book and some of the deaths are told in great detail, from the point of view of the person being gutted. This is not a book for the faint of heart with human death, seal death, incest and rape of young girls. I rarely read books with this much violence but I was interested in the "mystery" part of the book.
The book jumps between the present (2014) and 1973 as a reporter in the present, Matt, and a police officer in the past, Jakob, investigate bodies, deaths, and more, that may be connected. You will feel the cold, the wet, the dreariness of the Greenland area where the book takes place. As the book goes from one timeline to the other, it's easy to not realize exactly how much takes place in such a short time span, in each timeline. The is a lot of action packed into short amounts of time.
Both timelines have a huge number of characters and places, with very unfamiliar names, to me, so it was often hard to remember who was who and what was what. The story is complex and there is a lot to remember from one timeline to the next. I would like to have felt clearer about everything that happened yet I know that my preference for less gruesome crime descriptions and unfamiliarity with most names, may have influenced my ability to enjoy the book more. I did enjoy the characters, especially the police officer Jakob and would have liked to have known more about him.
Published June 11th 2019
I rated this book 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. Thank you to Text Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC.
When a mummified Viking corpse is discovered on Greenland ice sheet, journalist Matthew Cave is sent out to report on the finding. The next day, the mummy has disappeared. The body of the police guard lies on the ice naked and flayed, echoing a gruesome series of unsolved murders from many years earlier. With no faith in the police, the only person Matthew dares to trust is a young Greenlandic woman who, at fourteen years old, was charged with killing her father in the same shocking manner. Nordbo has staked out a new frontier in Nordic Crime, setting his story against the forbidding beauty of Greenland.
**********************************
A warning to anyone who is interested in reading this book...the number of flayed, gutted, bodies rises during this book and some of the deaths are told in great detail, from the point of view of the person being gutted. This is not a book for the faint of heart with human death, seal death, incest and rape of young girls. I rarely read books with this much violence but I was interested in the "mystery" part of the book.
The book jumps between the present (2014) and 1973 as a reporter in the present, Matt, and a police officer in the past, Jakob, investigate bodies, deaths, and more, that may be connected. You will feel the cold, the wet, the dreariness of the Greenland area where the book takes place. As the book goes from one timeline to the other, it's easy to not realize exactly how much takes place in such a short time span, in each timeline. The is a lot of action packed into short amounts of time.
Both timelines have a huge number of characters and places, with very unfamiliar names, to me, so it was often hard to remember who was who and what was what. The story is complex and there is a lot to remember from one timeline to the next. I would like to have felt clearer about everything that happened yet I know that my preference for less gruesome crime descriptions and unfamiliarity with most names, may have influenced my ability to enjoy the book more. I did enjoy the characters, especially the police officer Jakob and would have liked to have known more about him.
Published June 11th 2019
I rated this book 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. Thank you to Text Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC.
constantreader471's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.
Matthew Cave is a journalist in Nuuk, Greenland. He is sent to the scene of a mummified body discovered on the desolate Greenland ice sheet. After he sees the body and a news photographer take pictures, they return to Nuuk. The next day, the policeman who was left to guard the body is found gruesomely murdered and the mummified body is gone. Matthew soon realizes that the policeman's murder is similar to a series of unsolved murders in Greenland forty years earlier. He starts investigating and the person he trusts the most is Tupaarnaq, a woman recently released from prison for killing her family at the age of 14.
Together they uncover a coverup of murder, rape, incest and more. The book alternates between two narratives, one in 2014 and one in 1973. The 1973 narrative is based upon a diary of a policeman presumed dead. He was investigating the murders and incest, despite orders from superiors to stop investigating. The book moved slowly in the first half, while I tried to put all this together. The murders are resolved, and some of the abusers are exposed. The description of the dead bodies is graphic enough that cozy mystery fans are not going to want to read this. I have been to Nuuk, and I enjoyed the description of Nuuk.
Thanks to Text Publishing Company for sending me this book through NetGalley. #TheGirlWithoutSkin #NetGalley
Matthew Cave is a journalist in Nuuk, Greenland. He is sent to the scene of a mummified body discovered on the desolate Greenland ice sheet. After he sees the body and a news photographer take pictures, they return to Nuuk. The next day, the policeman who was left to guard the body is found gruesomely murdered and the mummified body is gone. Matthew soon realizes that the policeman's murder is similar to a series of unsolved murders in Greenland forty years earlier. He starts investigating and the person he trusts the most is Tupaarnaq, a woman recently released from prison for killing her family at the age of 14.
Together they uncover a coverup of murder, rape, incest and more. The book alternates between two narratives, one in 2014 and one in 1973. The 1973 narrative is based upon a diary of a policeman presumed dead. He was investigating the murders and incest, despite orders from superiors to stop investigating. The book moved slowly in the first half, while I tried to put all this together. The murders are resolved, and some of the abusers are exposed. The description of the dead bodies is graphic enough that cozy mystery fans are not going to want to read this. I have been to Nuuk, and I enjoyed the description of Nuuk.
Thanks to Text Publishing Company for sending me this book through NetGalley. #TheGirlWithoutSkin #NetGalley
abibliofob's review against another edition
3.0
This is an author I have never tried before, but I most certainly will be reading more from. The topic is perhaps not my favorite but the story is very well written and the language is great. I actually read it both in English and Swedish to compare. Its been a long time since I read about Greenland and those books all took place in the early 1900s written by Peter Freuchen. I can really recommend thriller fans to try this. I also have to thank #Netgalley and#TextPublishingCompany for giving me the chance to try something new like #TheGirlWithoutSkin #FlickanUtanHud #PigenUdenHud The first book in a new Greenland series by #MadsPederNordbo
abibliofob's review
3.0
This is an author I have never tried before, but I most certainly will be reading more from. The topic is perhaps not my favorite but the story is very well written and the language is great. I actually read it both in English and Swedish to compare. Its been a long time since I read about Greenland and those books all took place in the early 1900s written by Peter Freuchen. I can really recommend thriller fans to try this. I also have to thank #Netgalley and#TextPublishingCompany for giving me the chance to try something new like #TheGirlWithoutSkin #FlickanUtanHud #PigenUdenHud The first book in a new Greenland series by #MadsPederNordbo
mpswans1's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
bookswithriinu's review against another edition
3.0
Esimesena äratas mu tähelepanu selle raamatu puhul selle kaas ning seos Gröönimaaga. Tahtsin kohast rohkem teada saada ja detailsete kirjelduste tõttu loodusest ei pidanud selles osas pettuma.
Siiski julgelt esimene pool raamatust sujus oi-oi kui aeglaselt ja lugu ei tahtnud kuidagi pihta hakata. Nii palju erinevaid mõrvu oli seotud ühte raamatusse. Paralleelselt toimus tegevus tänapäeval, kui leitakse muumia ja 40 aastat tagasuses ajas, kui toimusid jõhkrad mõrvad. Mind köitis palju rohkem just varem toimunu ja oleksin tahtnud pigem selle kohta lugeda. Suurim häiriv faktor minu jaoks oli tegelaste paljusus ja nende väismaised keerulised nimed. Pidevalt pidin mõtlema, et oot oot, kes see nüüd oligi.
Kuigi raamatu esimene pool mulle pigem ei istunud, siis piisavalt oli ikkagi ka pinget, sest lugesin muudkui edasi.
Kui raamatu lõpuks olid nimed meelde jäänud, siis tegelikult oli täitsa põnev ja mulle meeldis see, kuidas kõik ühindus ja tekkinud küsimused vaikselt vastused said. Üllatavalt kombel viimast peatükki lugedes hakkasin isegi otsima, et kas sellel on ka järgmine osa.
Siiski julgelt esimene pool raamatust sujus oi-oi kui aeglaselt ja lugu ei tahtnud kuidagi pihta hakata. Nii palju erinevaid mõrvu oli seotud ühte raamatusse. Paralleelselt toimus tegevus tänapäeval, kui leitakse muumia ja 40 aastat tagasuses ajas, kui toimusid jõhkrad mõrvad. Mind köitis palju rohkem just varem toimunu ja oleksin tahtnud pigem selle kohta lugeda. Suurim häiriv faktor minu jaoks oli tegelaste paljusus ja nende väismaised keerulised nimed. Pidevalt pidin mõtlema, et oot oot, kes see nüüd oligi.
Kuigi raamatu esimene pool mulle pigem ei istunud, siis piisavalt oli ikkagi ka pinget, sest lugesin muudkui edasi.
Kui raamatu lõpuks olid nimed meelde jäänud, siis tegelikult oli täitsa põnev ja mulle meeldis see, kuidas kõik ühindus ja tekkinud küsimused vaikselt vastused said. Üllatavalt kombel viimast peatükki lugedes hakkasin isegi otsima, et kas sellel on ka järgmine osa.