(Don't worry - the review isn't in my excrable written German...)
I've seen Wallander on German TV and on English TV - with Kenneth Brannagh in the title role in the English language version, and with subtitles in the Swedish version which meant that I missed all the action. Coming in, fashionably late as usual, to the trend for Swedish "krimis" (as the Germans call detective stories) I decided to give the novels a whirl.
My other half has started reading a lot more now he's doing a train commute (ah how I miss sitting on a train/bus/bike for half my waking hours...) and a while ago he picked this up as he was way ahead of me in following the Swedish Krimi trend. (it's all Italian Krimis now, apparently)
This is a collection of 5 short-is stories and covers Wallander's early career, starting in the 60s and ending in the late 80s.
The very first of the stories shows how he became a detective and how much he didn't enjoy being a uniformed policeman. As we progress through time we learn more about this carmudgeonly solitary fellow, there's a lot of introspection on his part about how he could have done things better and niggling worries about his private life.
In common with a lot of writers, this book represents Mankell going back and filling in his character's back-story. Unlike Bernard Corwell (filling in Richard Sharpe's history), as far as I know, he didn't have too many problems where he had to ignore some previously established 'facts' and gloss over some things. Reading this in German also slowed me down a lot and pay much more attention to detail - and there is a lot of that (which usually drives me insane - yes, Stieg Larsson I'm looking at you).
All in all I really enjoyed reading this and am looking forward to reading a few more. What I am hoping is that there is a lot less of his selfish, idiotic father because I found him irritating in the extreme. Another good thing is the relationship that I can see building between Wallander and his daughter, Linda. She seems to understand both him and his father very well and I'm looking forward to seeing her grow up.
In my head, Wallander looks like Kenneth Brannagh. Which is nice.
4 comments:
I haven't read this book, but I've read most Wallanders in my time. I think his dad is dement or something, which is why it is so difficult. Then again, it's a decade or so ago that I read the books, so my memory may fail me here. :D
No you remember correctly, his dad has dementia - at least the onset of it in this book - but oh god, he's just so annoying!!
So is my mother in law at times - she has the onset of dementia, too, so we really have to remember that it's not her fault, and try to be patient. It is hard work.
Oh yes, I can imagine that it's not easy. In fact it's quite unusual, and good because of that, to see Wallander's father appear like this.
Post a Comment