The Murder of Halland by Pia Juul5/21/2023 The narrative constructed by Bess defies genre conventions, so while the investigation occasionally rolls up to Bess’s front door, she does not follow its progress. But Bess is quickly eliminated as a suspect, and while the investigation continues almost silently in the background, Bess finds herself immersed in questions and regrets about her past. In the confusion immediately following the crime, Bess finds herself accused of murder, and the fact that as Halland lay dying he apparently says “ my wife shot me,” doesn’t help. I’m not giving away spoilers to say that Halland has been murdered–shot to death by an unidentified killer. Had I merely heard the door closing behind Halland? Though I remember thinking something wasn’t quite right. That would have been psychic, insane almost. I pulled myself together again and clutched the blanket around my knees. I sat up and ran my fingers through my hair the way they do in films. When I opened my eyes again, I knew a sound had woken me, but I had no idea what sound. She stays up to write while Halland goes to bed, and then she falls asleep on the sofa. The novel opens with Bess, the slippery narrator, describing the last night spent with her much older partner, Halland. To describe Danish author’s Pia Juul’s novel, The Murder of Hallandas crime fiction would not only be inaccurate, but would also potentially disappoint any readers, so instead I’ll say the book is about a woman whose life is instantly changed when crime takes place.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |