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A review by jmatkinson1
The Girl Who Died by Ragnar Jónasson
3.0
Teacher Una is struggling to make ends meet in 1980s Reykjavik, her father's suicide and the distance from her mother mean that she drinks to forget and has few friends and little future. Following up on a advert for a teacher in a remote community Una finds herself in Langanes teaching two students in a small village. However the setting is bleak and the community hostile. Then Una finds herself haunted by a ghost and one of her pupils dies in mysterious circumstances.
I have really loved Jonasson's previous novels but this one I found disappointing. All the elements are there but the focus is more on the haunting and Una, who is not a particularly likeable character. There is a great little crime story hidden away here but it rushes in towards the end. This is a stand-alone novel and hopefully Jonasson will be back on form with the next.
I have really loved Jonasson's previous novels but this one I found disappointing. All the elements are there but the focus is more on the haunting and Una, who is not a particularly likeable character. There is a great little crime story hidden away here but it rushes in towards the end. This is a stand-alone novel and hopefully Jonasson will be back on form with the next.