I recently received a review from Monica Goodwin, an enthusiastic reader and book reviewer. I had never heard of NORWEGIAN BY NIGHT by Derek B. Miller. (How did I miss it?)
This first novel debuted in May 2013 and tells the story of Sheldon Horowitz, a man who has outlived everyone in his life, except his granddaughter. He finds himself living with her and her Norwegian husband in a strange land and unwittingly becomes involved in a murder...
One reviewer said
"NORWEGIAN by NIGHT is about aging snipers. Or, it's about parenting and loss. Or the lingering traces of the Korean and Vietnam Wars. It feels as full of life itself, and almost as real."
Here are Monica's comments:
I was given this book while on vacation. Described by the London Times as "stunningly good" and described to me as a page turner, I was a little disappointed.
The main character "Sheldon" is just that. .... A character! He lends a comic side to the story but at the same time a sad one. He is an 82 year old aging Jewish ex marine, who seems to be fighting his demons. He has a real sense if duty to his country which he imposes on his son.
Even though the book is about a murder Sheldon witnesses, most of it in flashbacks to his past,the Korean War and his son Saul. His life seems fraught with regrets which he wants to surmount.
Every time I was just getting into the plot, I found it a little annoying to spend so much time on the flashbacks. To me this book was not so much a thriller but the struggle of a widowed ex marine to come to terms with himself and the guilt of his relationship with his son.
There are vivid descriptions of the Korean War and also of Oslo and Norway where the crime is committed. It is however a thriller with a twist and I did finish it!!!
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