A review by taylakaye
I Refuse by Per Petterson

4.0

Given my predilection for Norwegian noir, this was a natural choice. It was, however, not dark in the ways I expected. Starting with a burst of violence and an open-ended disappearance, it takes off in a direction I didn't expect. Instead of a crime, we follow the dissolution of relationships. We consider how those bonds, once forged, decay and strengthen, erode and shift who we are in ways we are both aware of and oblivious to.
Petterson's spare style takes a bit of getting used to, or did for me, but once you get into the rhythm of it is a breeze that brings you along.