Nemesis (Harry Hole)
by Jo Nesbo
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jo NesboTranslator: Don Bartlett
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-01-06
ISBN: 0061655503
Number of pages: 480
Publisher: Harper
Book Reviews of Nemesis (Harry Hole)
Book Review: The Amoral, Moral Constable
Summary: 5 Stars
Jo Nesbo's "Nemesis" is a fascinating 475-page book. And it's a challenge to read. But it's entirely engrossing. I read it in about 3 days. The main character, Harry Hole, a mid-30s detective on the Oslo, Norway Police Department, is a complex, frustrating man, neither quite likable nor unlikable. He's a cop with a brain and conscience. He is rash, but compulsively planful, complex, often a clumsy romantic and decidedly uncomfortable in his own skin. He is careless, frequently getting himself into self-imposed difficulties. He often thinks himself into a jam. He breaks rules and puts himself and others in great danger. He pressures people to do favors for him. He's wise and idiotic. He has bad habits: he drinks, swears, smokes, doesn't get nearly enough sleep and throws up. Hole gets himself beaten up or drugged, often runs scared (barefoot even), and relies on childhood friends to get him out of trouble. He's not a whole lot of fun to be around -- ever. He rarely says more than 10 words at a time, but when the verbal dam breaks, he speaks for 2 pages (something that happened about 4 times in the book). His past is full of pain. He is an occasional womanizer, bemoans his "loner-life" but is an excellent sleuth. He believes he has found happiness with his current flame, Rakel and extended family. He is not a person you would enjoy having as an office mate. However, he is someone you would want to cover your back. It would not interest me to have dinner with him, and I would probably not invite him to a party at my home.
Nesbo "writes" women very well. The 4 key women players in "Nemesis" are very, very interesting, immensely different one from the other, and in some ways single-handedly carry the story forward. I would love to have dinner with any of the women (Anna, Rakel, Vigdis, and Beate) at any time.
In fact, no one in the tale is cookie cutter, except perhaps Hole's own personal nemesis on the force, the egotistical and evil Tom Waaler, apparently a David Hasselback look-alike, who strangely enough, comes across as Nesbo's most superficial character in this and "Redbreast." I truly hope that in the next novel, Nesbo puts him where he belongs: in jail. I'm tired of reading about Waaler. Neither Hole nor Nesbo "needs" Waaler.
The challenging part of the book is keeping track of the 4 main story lines, a) the bank robbery/murder; b) the suicide/murder; c) threads of the unsolved and unresolved murders in "Redbreast" which continue to haunt Hole and the reader in "Nemesis;" and d) Harry's own very long (and slightly boring) list of personal issues and troubles. Intermixed with all these story lines are episodes and events that take place not only in Oslo and environs, but also in Moscow and Brazil. In other words, the plot and its execution are exceptionally complex and demanding. 5 or 6 people meet a horrible, grisly, and ghastly death. Grit your teeth, because you have a front row seat to it all.
Actually, I'm not really a fan of most detective stories. However, what's great about reading this detective story is its wide sweep of philosophy, moral choices, and life phenomena. Nesbo is obviously a brainy type, no intellectual slouch there! He forces you to think of other things than the typical "who done it." The end of the story, by the way, is nicely surprising. Nesbo is a rare author who can bring a story to a satisfying conclusion. (Attention: Arturo Perez-Reverte!) You become immersed in gypsy history, principles and philosophy whether you like it or not. The wonders and ordeal of living in Norway's difficult climate also come across clearly and cleanly. Many of the characters deal with various important issues of life, death, revenge, hate and love. For example, I really liked Nesbo's definition of Revenge read on page 142, "...the glee that Spite gives. The Small-mindedness. The Self-righteousness. The Sadism. The four `S's of revenge." Nice.
There are some translation problems in "Nemesis" but not as many as there were in "Redbreast." Don Bartlett, the translator, is British. Thus, the translation is in British English, which results in some humor for an American reader from time to time, as well as some annoyance. One would hope that the 100 or so colloquial mostly low-brow British phrases could be easily re-translated into standard American English for readers in the USA and Canada. My criticism in my review of "Redbreast" that Bartlett had likely dumbed-down the intellectual level of "Redbreast" to a low high school reading level does not apply in "Nemesis." Except for the few aforementioned British-isms, the translation is very high quality and quite likely as literate and eloquent in British English as the original Norwegian manuscript.
As for hypothetical dining scenarios, I would most of all like to have dinner with Mr. Nesbo. It's just a hunch, but is Harry Hole sort-of-kind-of like Jo Nesbo, in the sense of personality, looks, body type, self-concept, outlook on life and philosophy?
One final thing: Nesbo's "Nemesis" and "Redbreast" are relentlessly heterosexual, possibly the only real stereotypic aspect in Nesbo's writing. There are no gay people in Norway?
"Nemesis" is a great read. In its genre, it's a 5-star.
Summary of Nemesis (Harry Hole)
THE NEXT STIEG LARSSON' INDEPENDENT. OVER 9 MILLION BOOKS SOLD WORLDWIDE. How do you catch a killer when you're the number one suspect? A man is caught on CCTV, shooting dead a cashier at a bank. Detective Harry Hole begins his investigation, but after dinner with an old flame wakes up with no memory of the past 12 hours. Then the girl is found dead in mysterious circumstances and he beings to receive threatening emails: is someone trying to frame him for her death? As Harry fights to clear his name, the bank robberies continue with unparalleled savagery...'A superb novel. Intricate, truly gripping' Evening Standard.Literature & Fiction Books
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