Monday, January 05, 2004
Post-Christmas wrap up...
First up was Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg for my book group. Man, this was better than I remembered it. I think I twisted the asteroid ending into some sort of lame science fiction cop out in my mind over the years and convinced myself I liked it okay, but hated the ending. Maybe that was the movie? I don't remember. Anyway. I really like this book a lot. It's one of those thriller/mystery books that transcends the genre through a remarkable main character and an atypical setting. Smilla herself is awesome. She's prickly and proudly independent, yet never unlikable. Hoeg softens her just enough through the flashbacks with Isaiah and her relationship with the mechanic without compromising her strength or obstinacy. The writing is cold, Smilla is cold, the weather is cold and yet it all works to make you care about the characters much like how Smilla cares about ice. The plot is difficult enough to surprise the reader with its twists, but doesn't ever get too confusing (perhaps, though, I followed it better because this was my second time through). This is definitely on my list of better than average mysteries.
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First up was Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg for my book group. Man, this was better than I remembered it. I think I twisted the asteroid ending into some sort of lame science fiction cop out in my mind over the years and convinced myself I liked it okay, but hated the ending. Maybe that was the movie? I don't remember. Anyway. I really like this book a lot. It's one of those thriller/mystery books that transcends the genre through a remarkable main character and an atypical setting. Smilla herself is awesome. She's prickly and proudly independent, yet never unlikable. Hoeg softens her just enough through the flashbacks with Isaiah and her relationship with the mechanic without compromising her strength or obstinacy. The writing is cold, Smilla is cold, the weather is cold and yet it all works to make you care about the characters much like how Smilla cares about ice. The plot is difficult enough to surprise the reader with its twists, but doesn't ever get too confusing (perhaps, though, I followed it better because this was my second time through). This is definitely on my list of better than average mysteries.
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