Review of COLD AS HELL by Lilja Sigurðardóttir

 4 Stars

This is the first novel I’ve read by this Icelandic author, but it won’t be my last.

Áróra Jónsdóttir, a financial investigator living in Scotland, travels to Iceland at the behest of her mother Violet because Áróra’s older sister Ísafold has disappeared.  Áróra suspects that Björn, Ísafold’s abusive partner, knows more than he’s admitting.  Violet contacts Daníel Hansson, a police officer and the former husband of Áróra’s aunt, and he and Áróra join forces to find Ísafold.  At the same time, Áróra meets a man whom she discovers may be guilty of fraud so she opts to also investigate his financial dealings. 

Alternating points of view are presented.  Although Áróra is the focus, the perspectives of other characters are presented, especially those of two residents of Ísafold’s apartment building.  These include Olga, a widow who is sheltering an undocumented Syrian refugee named Omar, and Grímur, a man who is so repulsed by hair that he shaves his entire body, often more than once a day.  Because they have secrets, they do not want to draw attention to themselves and so are not totally forthcoming about what they might know about Ísafold. 

This is the first of a series so I was especially interested in the development of Áróra’s character.  What I appreciated is that she is a complex character.  Her relationship with her sister is interesting.   Áróra is angry with repeatedly having to come to rescue Ísafold, only to have her return to her abusive partner.  At the same time, she regrets their estrangement and feels guilty for refusing to come the last time.  Áróra is intelligent and determined, but I didn’t always approve of her choices.  Because she is flawed, she is believable.  And authenticity is much more important that likeability. 

There is considerable suspense.  The multiple viewpoints give characters’ inner thoughts but also keep the reader guessing because more than one possible suspect emerges.  Ísafold seems to have been friendly with both Omar and Grímur; the latter even claims that “He knew her well.  Sometimes he was convinced that he knew her considerably better than [Björn].”  Olga’s relationship with Omar raises questions.  How well does she really know the man she has sheltered? 

I loved the local colour.  The descriptions of the lava fields and the lupins, and the references to Mount Keilir, Mount Esja, and the spooky lava formations near Mývatn all brought back fond memories of a June visit to Iceland a few years ago.  References to the midnight sun, sulphur-smelling hot water, ten drops of coffee, and Icelandic hot dogs reminded me of experiences I had.  (All I missed was a mention of skyr to which I became addicted.) 

There is one aspect that irritated me.  There are so many references to Áróra’s jittery belly:  “a twitch of excitement in her belly” and “a flutter of anticipation in her belly” and “setting her belly fluttering.”  She even “felt a burst of illogical anger towards Ísafold in her belly.”  (The misplaced modifier in this sentence creates a bizarre image too.)  To make matters worse, Daníel also experiences “a weird jittery feeling in his belly” and has a “desperate beast” turning “somersaults in his belly.”  (Maybe it’s the word belly that is the problem?) 

The novel is a quick read.  The short chapters (108 of them) and the brief duration (2 weeks) create a fast pace.  There are some unanswered questions so there is clearly at least one more book.  It is one I will definitely be picking up.

Note:  I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.