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A review by meloches
Snare by Lilja Sigurðardóttir
5.0
As of lately, it is very rare for me to read the back of a novel and to be hooked immediately by the synopsis. However, from the second I read the blurb for Snare, a book which will be first novel in a trilogy, I was completely compelled to read the book immediately. A young mother, Sonja, desperate for financial stability and win full custody of her son, begins smuggling cocaine into Iceland and finds herself wrapped up in the Reykjavik criminal world. Now that I have finished the novel, the only thing I am wondering is how soon I can get my hands on the second novel. I need more of Sigurdardottir’s writing in my life.
From the first pages of the novel, in the deserted airport with holiday music playing in the background, I was completely struck by the tone. It was ominous, dark and had moments so tense that I actually felt like I had to brace myself while I was reading as I waited for these colliding characters to crash into each other. The novel surrounds Sonja, our protagonist, doing her best to get ahead and obviously causing herself more harm than good. Moving on to Bragi, a sort of washed up customs officer who is holding on for dear life to his job due to his lonely home life and ego. Finally, we meet Agla, a woman (and Sonja’s lover), who is dealing with repercussions from the financial crash. All of these characters bring a unique perspective to the story and are given their own strong voice. I actually ended up loving each of these characters. I know that Sonja was a criminal, and yet, I was rooting for her. I know that Bragi was a sort of anti-hero type villain but I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
Sigurdardottr’s prose is truly a treat and gave life to the text. The moments where Sonja, who is casually smuggling drugs into the country, found herself at the airport with Bragi hot on her tail had me feeling actual anxiety. I am a stressful traveller and travelling through customs is always nerve wrecking, imaging myself in Sonja’s situation had me completely on edge!! I loved how the author was able to take a regular occurrence and make it thrilling, especially having Sonja handle the situation like a boss!
Overall, I really enjoyed this piece of noir and would highly recommend it. 5/5 stars from me. Absolutely worth the read!
From the first pages of the novel, in the deserted airport with holiday music playing in the background, I was completely struck by the tone. It was ominous, dark and had moments so tense that I actually felt like I had to brace myself while I was reading as I waited for these colliding characters to crash into each other. The novel surrounds Sonja, our protagonist, doing her best to get ahead and obviously causing herself more harm than good. Moving on to Bragi, a sort of washed up customs officer who is holding on for dear life to his job due to his lonely home life and ego. Finally, we meet Agla, a woman (and Sonja’s lover), who is dealing with repercussions from the financial crash. All of these characters bring a unique perspective to the story and are given their own strong voice. I actually ended up loving each of these characters. I know that Sonja was a criminal, and yet, I was rooting for her. I know that Bragi was a sort of anti-hero type villain but I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
Sigurdardottr’s prose is truly a treat and gave life to the text. The moments where Sonja, who is casually smuggling drugs into the country, found herself at the airport with Bragi hot on her tail had me feeling actual anxiety. I am a stressful traveller and travelling through customs is always nerve wrecking, imaging myself in Sonja’s situation had me completely on edge!! I loved how the author was able to take a regular occurrence and make it thrilling, especially having Sonja handle the situation like a boss!
Overall, I really enjoyed this piece of noir and would highly recommend it. 5/5 stars from me. Absolutely worth the read!