(trans. Rachel Willson-Broyles, Other Press, pp 432, $26.95)
Kudos
to Other Press for publishing this Nordic wonder. “Quick Sand” has been
bestsellers in more than 20 countries, mainly the old continent, and it
was shocking to see that no US publisher would rush to snatch up the US
rights. “Quick Sand” is Persson Giolito
fourth crime novel, and it takes its cue from a mass killing, such as
the one in Norway in 2011 . . . Its main protagonist, the 18-year old,
Maja Norberg, is a popular student who survives a school rampage. Set as
a flashback, prior to the gory event, the plot trails Maja’s past to
find out whether she participated in the mass murdering. She has been
accused, being the only one to survive, and waits in jail for her trial.
This alone would not have been enough to get this book included in this month column. But Persson Giolito’s
craft takes us on a psychological ride, where perhaps the narrator of
the story is not as reliable as first thought. She met a questionable
character, Sebastian Fagerman, prior to the massacre. Little by little,
we can hear the cogs of her internal life flicker with strange sounds.
As she is swept off her feet, alienating everyone in her immediate
circle, we ponder if her outcries are not simply screams for help . . .
that everyone missed.
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