Håkan Nesser is a Scandinavian author I have been keen to delve into for quite some time but somehow haven’t managed to read any of his books until now. And wow... touted as the godfather of Swedish crime, ‘The Darkest Day’ is evidence of such a claim.

The Darkest Day is the first in Nesser’s Inspector Gunnar Barbarotti series and epitomises everything that is quintessentially Nordic Noir. Dark, broody, deeply delving into the shadows of every character, exposing those inner most thoughts that are rarely surfaced with a plot that is equally driven by the characters as the reader gets to know them intimately.

Nesser’s style of writing appeals immensely to me. He digs deep in every sentence, building pictures, atmosphere and revealing all that is not spoken but indeed exists beneath the surface of seemingly average people. I loved every page and found the writing like some sort of melodious prose.

Essentially, The Darkest Day is a deep family saga and much of the first section of the book is devoted to unpacking the dynamics of the Hermansson family on the occasion of Karl-Erik and daughter Ebba’s mutual birthdays. It is a family with deep seated tension, division and unspoken difference. When black sheep of the family, Robert and golden haired grandson, Henrik go missing over two consecutive days in seemingly similar yet different circumstances the family is thrown into even further disarray.

Feeling very pleased to have finally opened one of Nesser’s books and looking forward to reading more in this series and his other series with Inspector van Veeteren. 5 big fat stars.

Cambia l'investigatore protagonista, non cambia l'inimitabile stile di Nesser, che scrive un noir intricato e fortemente psicologico, dove l'elemento caso e l'elemento sadismo si legano inestricabilmente nella vicenda di uno zio e di un nipote scomparsi e uccisi.
I due casi, apparentemente legati a causa dei legami familiari tra i due assassinati, descrivono invece due diverse sfaccettature di quella società scandinava che, vista da vicino, si fa di giorno in giorno più degradata e infelice.
Imperdibile la strampalata contabilità inventata dal protagonista per stabilire l'esistenza o meno di Dio.

Nicht immer leicht zu lesen, aber Nesser bleibt Nesser

(I read this book in Danish, but I'm reviewing in English. The book is available in English, but not listed on Goodreads yet. See nesser.se for the names of the English version of the Barbarotti series.)

I did not expect to start a 458-page book on a Friday evening and finish it on a Sunday morning. By the time I was about 25% of the way through the book, I was hooked and just wanted to sit and read it straight to the end. I credit Nesser's style of writing for all that. I look forward to the next books in this series.

The book opens with an introduction to the people in a rather dysfunctional family. Inspector Barbarotti doesn't make an entrance until quite a bit into the book. By then, I am hoping he will make sense of what is going on. He can't. He is stumped by the paltry clues and information he has.

Spoiler

I never resolved the meaning of the title "Menneske uden hund" - Man Without Dog. We only get a glimpse of it toward the end when Kristina is reading it, thinking she will reveal something about her brother. She is puzzled by what she reads and wonders why he chose the words she reads. I am not bothered by not seeing any meaning in the title or by missing what might be obvious to others. I think it just illustrates how dysfunctional this family was. Karl-Erik's obsession with the perfection of his first born and disgust with the second born and indifference with the third. I would not have accepted an invitation to that 105th birthday party!!

Someone said that if I liked Fredrik Backman's "A Man Called Ove/En Mand Der Hedder Ove" (and I did: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1339124873) then I should read the third book in this Barbarotti series. I was told the books in the series were stand-alone and I could jump straight to the third book. I didn't. I wanted to get to know Barbarotti so I started with number 1. I am glad I did. This will also give me more time to enjoy Nesser's writing style. This is classified as a crime novel. That is correct. However, it is not the forensic science or bloody type of crime novel, in my opinion. It's the storytelling kind of crime novel, if I can put it that way. Nesser writes in what I can only describe as a subtle, quiet, and human style. I like it.

дуже добре написана – і перекладена – книжка. з оптимальною кількістю скелетів у шафах і трупів у холодильниках.
щоправда, інспектор барбаротті тут більше для краси, а розслідування кволеньке: сюжет радше сам розгортається, зачіпаючись об людей і збіги обставин, ніж під впливом дій поліції (ага, там дуже багато збігів обставин і людського фактора – таргани в головах персонажів завбільшки з дирижаблі). думаю, так буде і в наступних книжках, де лінія барбаротті виступатиме таким собі спільним обрамленням, і хоч то не зовсім те, що я люблю в детективах, хорошого і скандинавського в нессера достатньо, щоб читати далі. ну й так, мушу погодитися – навіть просто як обрамлення інспектор вкрай симпатичний.

Läs min bloggtext om boken här: https://www.fiktiviteter.se/2024/05/28/manniska-utan-hund-av-hakan-nesser/

Dlaczego 5 gwiazdek?
- bo Barbarotti rozmawia z Bogiem i prowadzi z nim grę, w której czasami Bóg jest pod kreską;
- bo Bóg ma wybitne poczucie humoru;
- bo rodzina, która pada ofiarą podwójnego zaginięcia jest zdrowo popieprzona i nie lubimy nikogo;
- bo to wszystko jest w sumie tragiczne.
Poza tym Gunnar Barbarotti brzmi zabawnie.
Akcja powieści dzieje się Gdzieś, W Szwecji. W małej mieścinie spotyka się doroczny zjazd pojebanej patriarchalnej rodziny, nestorowie to para nauczycieli, z których ojciec jest tępym ćwokiem, a matka rozmyśla nad sposobami zabicia go!
Ich syn, Robert, onanizował się w programie, w którym cała reszta uczestników uprawiała seks. Napisał też tomiki wierszy i powieść. Zdaje się, że jedno z tych wydarzeń spowodowało, że Nestor Ojciec postanowił spieprzać na ciepłe hiszpańskie wybrzeże. Ale to po imprezie z okazji swoich 65 urodzin połączonych z 40 urodzinami Córki Idealnej. No więc impreza jest skromna, żeby ludzie nie nawiązywali do obciachu (wychodzi, że wiersze można wybaczyć, ale to, że ktoś robi coś przed kamerą- już nie. No, doprawdy, Fronda pisze że w Szwecji wolno każdemu różne rzeczy).
Zatem jednego wieczoru ginie Wyrodny Syn, potem ciotka uwodzi siostrzeńca, który twierdzi, że jest gejem i ginie następnego wieczoru.
Wiele to nieszczęść, a będzie jeszcze więcej.
A w tym wszystkim Barbarotti, którego morderstwo wybawia przed świętami z byłymi teściami, których nie cierpi.
Dlatego pięć gwiazdek DKN!