Andrew K. (kuligowskiandrewt) -
For her thirteenth novel in the Inspector Sejer series, author Karin Fossum has tried something new. We KNOW who did it, or at least allegedly did it. The problem is, we don't know WHAT she's done â or why.
I admire this kind of creativity in an author. Unfortunately, I wasn't as big a fan of the work. I read it through to completion but didn't really find myself hooked until the crime was revealed. Was it because I was frustrated with the storytelling approach that the author took? I don't think so. Ms. Fossum alternated between a history of Ragna Riegel (whose loss of voice due to botched surgery is the title character) and Inspector Sejer's attempts to learn the motivation behind her perceived crime. I think my issue was simply that I didn't have an emotional attachment to the lead character. I found I did not like Ragna, nor did I hate her. She was just there â and for me, it's tough to get emotionally involved in a story where the characters do not inspire any emotion!!
Still, it is excellent storytelling, from a master of the craft. Therefore, I will rate it in the middle of the scale.
RATING: 3 ½ out of 5, rounded down to 3 where ½ is not permitted.
I admire this kind of creativity in an author. Unfortunately, I wasn't as big a fan of the work. I read it through to completion but didn't really find myself hooked until the crime was revealed. Was it because I was frustrated with the storytelling approach that the author took? I don't think so. Ms. Fossum alternated between a history of Ragna Riegel (whose loss of voice due to botched surgery is the title character) and Inspector Sejer's attempts to learn the motivation behind her perceived crime. I think my issue was simply that I didn't have an emotional attachment to the lead character. I found I did not like Ragna, nor did I hate her. She was just there â and for me, it's tough to get emotionally involved in a story where the characters do not inspire any emotion!!
Still, it is excellent storytelling, from a master of the craft. Therefore, I will rate it in the middle of the scale.
RATING: 3 ½ out of 5, rounded down to 3 where ½ is not permitted.
Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Karin Fossum's The Whisperer is a fantastic character study that allows Inspector Sejer to do what he does best: listen. Ragna Riegel is a tough nut to crack, but the presence of Sejer's dog, Frank, helps lower some of the woman's defenses as the book alternates between the voices of Ragna and the inspector.
It's really not crystal clear through most of the book exactly why Ragna is in jail, and while these two characters talk, the reader is asking himself questions. What did she do? Prison for life? Murder? Could she really kill anyone? The more I read, the more I felt as though I were falling down the rabbit hole with Ragna, and I think a little of her paranoia rubbed off on me, which is a mark of some excellent storytelling.
The only thing I have to complain about is that the story drags badly at about the half- to the three-quarters mark. The lag time may not bother anyone else and that's fine, but if you're the type of reader who likes everything to be resolved by book's end, you're probably not going to like The Whisperer because it has a twist at the very end that sends your mind off to the races again-- and you're left wondering. You're left with questions, not closure.
I loved that twist at the end. In fact, I think I was expecting it. Karin Fossum had me thinking about the madness that can be found in everyday life, and she reminded me to question assumptions-- and that is a valuable reminder.
It's really not crystal clear through most of the book exactly why Ragna is in jail, and while these two characters talk, the reader is asking himself questions. What did she do? Prison for life? Murder? Could she really kill anyone? The more I read, the more I felt as though I were falling down the rabbit hole with Ragna, and I think a little of her paranoia rubbed off on me, which is a mark of some excellent storytelling.
The only thing I have to complain about is that the story drags badly at about the half- to the three-quarters mark. The lag time may not bother anyone else and that's fine, but if you're the type of reader who likes everything to be resolved by book's end, you're probably not going to like The Whisperer because it has a twist at the very end that sends your mind off to the races again-- and you're left wondering. You're left with questions, not closure.
I loved that twist at the end. In fact, I think I was expecting it. Karin Fossum had me thinking about the madness that can be found in everyday life, and she reminded me to question assumptions-- and that is a valuable reminder.
