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A review by appurusakura
Der Kastanienmann by Søren Sveistrup
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I suggest searching up trigger warnings before reading as this book discusses quite a few heavy topics that might be triggering. (Murder, Torture, Kidnapping, Child Abuse to name a few examples but please check out a detailed list of CWs.)
•••
While it took me a while to finish this book I must say that I enjoyed reading this story quite a lot.
Since I watched the Netflix series first - yes I know silly me but to my defense I didn't realise the show was based on this book before I was almost done watching it - I already knew who was behind everything. Which, yes, took away from the overall experience of everything and was probably the reason why it took me so long to actually finish this book.
I think if I hadn't watched the series beforehand, this book would have definitely kept me at the edge of my seat. And the ending would have totally shocked me because I remember very vividly how shocked I was when the murderer was revealed in the show. So yes, don't make the same mistake as I did and read the book before watching the show. It's totally worth it.
•••
Now back to the book. The writing was amazing. The author did an amazing job and I'm still salty about the missed opportunity of experiencing the full potential of this book. Because it would have totally shocked me.
I don't know if I just missed loads of details - I probably still wouldn't have realised even from the book - but for me the reveal of who was behind everything was super shocking and unexpected. Now after reading this book and experiencing the whole story for a second time, I still find the reveal quite surprising because for me nothing really pointed in that direction. Maybe I'm just super bad at that kind of thing. I have a feeling I would be a terrible detective.
•••
I really loved Hess and Thulin. Those two had so much chemestry and I would have loved to see those two end up together. For me it would have fit perfectly. Maybe a bit chliché I know but I liked the idea of it.
What I also really liked about them is how they had a kind of rocky start but then gradually learned to trust (and care for) each other and really work together. By the end of this story they were a total power duo.
Now to the characters I really hated because I need to rant about them for a bit.
Nylander was a total douchebag and he totally deserved a slap on the wrist. I wish I could have witnessed his dumbass being fired because damn did he deserve that. The way he was acting was unbearable. He only cared for himself and his "reputation".
Same goes for Jansen. A misogynistic prick that also deserved a lesson. I already highly disliked him because of all the details revealed from Thulin's PoV. His PoVs made my dislike (hatred really) for him even worse as they revealed some very nasty and misogynistic thoughts about Thulin and really showed his character.
Ok ok, I'm done now.
•••
Overall this book was great and I can totally recommend it if you like thrillers. I can also totally recommend the Netflix series.
•••
While it took me a while to finish this book I must say that I enjoyed reading this story quite a lot.
Since I watched the Netflix series first - yes I know silly me but to my defense I didn't realise the show was based on this book before I was almost done watching it - I already knew who was behind everything. Which, yes, took away from the overall experience of everything and was probably the reason why it took me so long to actually finish this book.
I think if I hadn't watched the series beforehand, this book would have definitely kept me at the edge of my seat. And the ending would have totally shocked me because I remember very vividly how shocked I was when the murderer was revealed in the show. So yes, don't make the same mistake as I did and read the book before watching the show. It's totally worth it.
•••
Now back to the book. The writing was amazing. The author did an amazing job and I'm still salty about the missed opportunity of experiencing the full potential of this book. Because it would have totally shocked me.
I don't know if I just missed loads of details - I probably still wouldn't have realised even from the book - but for me the reveal of who was behind everything was super shocking and unexpected. Now after reading this book and experiencing the whole story for a second time, I still find the reveal quite surprising because for me nothing really pointed in that direction. Maybe I'm just super bad at that kind of thing. I have a feeling I would be a terrible detective.
•••
I really loved Hess and Thulin. Those two had so much chemestry and I would have loved to see those two end up together. For me it would have fit perfectly. Maybe a bit chliché I know but I liked the idea of it.
What I also really liked about them is how they had a kind of rocky start but then gradually learned to trust (and care for) each other and really work together. By the end of this story they were a total power duo.
Now to the characters I really hated because I need to rant about them for a bit.
Nylander was a total douchebag and he totally deserved a slap on the wrist. I wish I could have witnessed his dumbass being fired because damn did he deserve that. The way he was acting was unbearable. He only cared for himself and his "reputation".
Same goes for Jansen. A misogynistic prick that also deserved a lesson. I already highly disliked him because of all the details revealed from Thulin's PoV. His PoVs made my dislike (hatred really) for him even worse as they revealed some very nasty and misogynistic thoughts about Thulin and really showed his character.
Ok ok, I'm done now.
•••
Overall this book was great and I can totally recommend it if you like thrillers. I can also totally recommend the Netflix series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Stalking