I enjoy reading literature in translation if it is done well and Peter Hoeg, the Danish novelist is one of my favourites. Most famous for his excellent uber-thriller Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow, Peter Hoeg returns to this genre in this intricately plotted thoroughly satisfying novel, his first in nearly ten years. It is a heady mix of ideas, philosophy and ruminations on the nature of evil all wrapped up in the package of a page-turning mystery thriller. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the novel lies in its preoccupation with sound, both natural and human made; from the gentle lapping of the waters in Copenhagen Harbour to the glimpse of the divine in Bach’s Chaconne. A challenging but thought provoking and ultimately uplifting piece of writing from a modern master.
If you liked this you could try Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow and Borderliners by the same author or anything by the following writers also in translation: Haruki Murakami, George Perec, Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
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