This multi-million-copy bestseller by acclaimed author Ragnar Jónasson celebrates its 10th anniversary with a new edition, including a never-before published prequel, "Fadeout". "Snowblind" has sold over five million copies worldwide. It has been published in over 36 languages and selected as one of the "Top 100 Crime Fiction" of all time by Blackwell’s Bookshop. Snowblind was translated into English by Quentin Bates and Larissa Kyzer.
"Snowblind" is the first book in the "Dark Iceland" series by Ragnar Jónasson. I enjoyed the original English translation of "Snowblind", published by Orenda Books, so I was eager to revisit it as part of the 10th anniversary blog tour. The main events of the series take place in the small town of Siglufjörður on Iceland's northern coast.
Siglufjörður is as integral to the story as the people who live there. It's a place of stark contrasts, at once forbidding, breathtaking, oppressive and majestic. Siglufjörður engenders powerful and sometimes contradictory feelings among its inhabitants. Some people leave as soon as they reach adulthood, only to return driven by an irresistible longing for their birthplace. Nevertheless, the population has been declining since the end of the herring trade, and the town is gradually drawing inward.
"Snowblind" introduces Ari Thór Arason, a recent police graduate from Reykjavik. He's accepted a job in Siglufjörður for a two-year "sentence" (as his new boss Tómas cynically calls it) with the local force. He has mixed feelings about the job, because he accepted the offer without discussing it with his live-in girlfriend Kristín. She's furious that he's moving so far away for so long. Ari Thór is not sure their relationship will survive the posting.
Tómas picks him up in Saudárkrókur, the closest place with an airport, about 60 miles from his new home. During the winter, Siglufjörður is inaccessible by sea or over the mountain pass, so the only way there is a twisty mountain road that goes through a dark, narrow, tunnel. The tunnel serves as an apt metaphor for Ari Thór's increasing claustrophobia and isolation as he gets closer to his new home.
The main events of "Snowblind" take place over ten days in January 2009, just after Ari Thór's arrival. Ragnar's concise style allows him to pack a lot of story into a short timeframe. He introduces the main characters with precise, nuanced brushstrokes, making them instantly familiar and eminently relatable. Tómas, born and bred in Siglufjörður, is boisterous, cynical, and set in his ways, but is inwardly shaken by his wife's recent decision to move to Reykjavik. Hlynur, his colleague at the station, is aloof and distracted; obsessing about unpleasant childhood memories. They're not exactly a crack murder squad, but then, murder doesn't happen in Siglufjörður—until it does.
Ari Thór's first case comes with the death of Hrólfur Kristjánsson, author of the Icelandic classic "North of the Hills". Born in Siglufjörður, he achieved world renown for the book, and has travelled all over for signings and lectures. Hrólfur hasn't published much of consequence since then, but the town is proud to claim him. He's the Chairman of the local amateur Dramatic Society, which is set to open its latest production, a play written by another local, Pálmi.
Hrólfur's literary fame gives him tremendous influence over the production, which causes resentment in some Society members. Typically, play director Úlfur would have chosen town native and company regular Anna for the lead female role. Against his wishes, Hrólfur insisted that he cast Ugla, a young women who rented an apartment from him when she moved to Siglufjörður four years ago. The two formed an unlikely friendship. He's much older than her and somewhat reclusive, but they bonded over books and music. The town swirls with gossip about Ugla's background and the nature of their relationship.
One night, Pálmi and director Úlfur are rehearsing the actors. Úlfur enjoys being in charge, but Hrólfur attends every rehearsal and gives his (mostly critical) input about what he calls "this miserable play". The company then takes a dinner break and leaves the theater, except for Nina, who staffs the theater's ticket booth. After taking a nap, she finds Hrólfur lying at the bottom of the stairs, smelling of alcohol and most decidedly dead. She calls the police and Ari Thór and Tómas come quickly. After a brief inspection of the scene, the new recruit tells his boss that Hrólfur's death may not have been an accident. Tómas dismisses this as nonsense and orders Ari Thór to photograph the body and its surroundings.
When the rest of the company returns, they are shocked about Hrólfur's death, although Úlfur seems to be more upset about postponing opening night. Of course, everyone denies knowing anything about the incident. Tómas is convinced that the fall was due to Hrólfur's drinking but Ari Thór still has his doubts. He becomes even more suspicious when he hears strange noises in his house in the middle of the night and sustains a serious injury chasing an intruder. Ari Thór owns nothing of value but it occurs to him that the presumed housebreaker might be after the camera with pictures of the crime scene. Who else but the killer would take the chance of sneaking into a policeman's house?
Five days after Hrólfur's death, a little boy follows his cat into a neighbor's garden and finds a woman's body lying on the ground. She is wearing only jeans and has lost a lot of blood. Her name is Linda, and she lives with Karl, the male lead in the Dramatic Society's play and an inveterate gambler. Miraculously, she is still alive (barely) and is transported to the nearest hospital. Karl is taken in for questioning. There are now two cases to investigate and suddenly, Siglufjörður has transformed into a very different place:
As a newcomer, Ari Thór Is hampered by his ignorance of Siglufjörður's history and his status as an outsider. Plagued by loneliness and frequent nightmares, Ari Thór is still determined to prove himself to Tómas. By getting to know the Dramatic Society members, he gains more insight into Hrólfur's death. Ari Thór finds another clue when Hrólfur's lawyer Thorsteinn informs him that the author's will has some surprising beneficiaries. Regarding the attack on Linda, not only are there rumors that her husband was abusive, but he recently took out a large insurance policy on her. The trouble is, Karl has a solid alibi. If Ari Thór wants to earn Tómas' respect by solving the crimes, he will have to rely on gut instinct and his ability to uncover the stories that live behind closed doors.
Ragnar's Siglufjörður, with its remote location and long winters, is an ideal setting for a murder mystery. In January, with its sharp north wind, blinding snowstorms, avalanches, and raging blizzards, Siglufjörður's inhabitants have a lot of time to think. Old grudges become obsessions. Hidden affairs and unrequited love turn into twisted emotions. But Siglufjörður keeps a tight lid on its secrets. All of these elements combine to make "Snowblind" a Nordic Noir classic. Luckily, there are more books in the "Dark Iceland" series and if you liked "Snowblind", you'll want to get lost in the other stories that Siglufjörður has to tell.
Ragnar Jónasson is the award-winning author of the international bestselling Hulda series, the Dark Iceland series, and other standalone crime fiction, with five million copies sold across thirty-six territories. The Times selected The Darkness as one of the 100 Best Crime Novels and Thrillers since 1945, and Snowblind has been selected as one of the Top 100 Crime Fiction Novels of all time.
Quentin Bates is the author of a series of crime novels set in present-day Iceland (Frozen Out, Cold Steal, Chilled to the Bone, Winterlude, and Cold Comfort) and translates into English from Icelandic. As well as translating Ragnar Jónasson’s Dark Iceland series, he has translated Gudlaugur Arason’s Bowline into English.
Larissa Kyzer is a writer and Icelandic-to-English literary translator. In 2019, she was awarded the American Scandinavian Foundation’s translation prize. She is an at-large board member of the American Literary Translators Association, a member of the Translators Organizing Committee, and runs the virtual Women+ in Translation reading series, Jill.
Please buy/order "Snowblind" from your local independent bookstore, or go to bookshop.org and order there. They now offer ebooks as well.
For audiobooks, go to libro.fm.
