Translated
from Icelandic by Victoria Cribb
Goodreads
synopsis: A
journalist on the track of an old case attempts suicide. An ordinary
couple return from a house swap in the states to find their home in
disarray and their guests seemingly missing. Four strangers struggle
to find shelter on a windswept spike of rock in the middle of a
raging sea. They have one thing in common: they all lied. And someone
is determined to punish them...WHY DID YOU LIE is a terrifying tale
of long-delayed retribution from Iceland's Queen of Suspense.
Stats
for my copy:
Trade paperback, Hodder Paperbacks, 2017.
How
acquired:
Via BookCrossing.
My
thoughts:
A new to me author, and I think this is the first time I've read an
Icelandic author or a book set in Iceland. The short chapters
alternate between three separate storylines. We have a
photojournalist who tagged along on a helicopter trip to a remote
lighthouse where his three traveling companions will be making
repairs. Then we have a police officer whose husband is in a coma
after a failed suicide attempt. And then a family who've just
returned home after a house swap vacation with a Florida couple. The
house swap storyline was the most interesting to me, as the family
found items the American couple left behind, and some odd behavior on
their security cameras,and began to worry that something happened to
the Americans when they're unable to get ahold of them.
The
narrative is slowly paced and there isn't much action. There were a
few spots where the wording seemed a little unnatural or uneven, but
otherwise the translation came across well. I was constantly
wondering how the three storylines would eventually link together.
And then when they did, boy howdy! The pace suddenly picked up, or
maybe I was just reading faster. I was on my couch last night reading
when my daughter called me and I jumped when my phone went off.
In
the last quarter of the book there were some twists and turns, none
of which I saw coming. And even after I'd turned the last page, I was
left with a sense of foreboding, and I'm still not sure how I feel
about the ending. But I'll definitely be on the lookout for more from
this author.
Also, here's a link to the lighthouse, or to a similar lighthouse, where part of the story is set: http://icelandmag.visir.is/article/watch-incredible-video-stunning-thridrangar-lighthouse-south-iceland!
.
Also, here's a link to the lighthouse, or to a similar lighthouse, where part of the story is set: http://icelandmag.visir.is/article/watch-incredible-video-stunning-thridrangar-lighthouse-south-iceland!
.
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