Snowblind (tr. by Quentin Bates) 10th Anniversary and Fadeout (tr. by Larissa Kyzer) by Ragnar Jónasson #BookReview #BlogTour

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SNOWBLIND

Siglufjörður: an idyllically quiet fishing village in Northern Iceland, where no one locks their doors – accessible only via a small mountain tunnel. Ari Thór Arason: a rookie policeman on his first posting, far from his girlfriend in Reykjavik – with a past that he’s unable to leave behind. When a young woman is found lying half-naked in the snow, bleeding and unconscious, and a highly esteemed, elderly writer falls to his death in the local theatre, Ari is dragged straight into the heart of a community where he can trust no one, and secrets and lies are a way of life.

An avalanche and unremitting snowstorms close the mountain pass, and the 24-hour darkness threatens to push Ari over the edge, as curtains begin to twitch, and his investigation becomes increasingly complex, chilling and personal. Past plays tag with the present and the claustrophobic tension mounts, while Ari is thrust ever deeper into his own darkness – blinded by snow, and with a killer on the loose.

Taut and terrifying, Snowblind is a startling debut from an extraordinary new talent, taking Nordic Noir to soaring new heights.

FADEOUT – NEW!

When Ari Thór Arason receives a staggeringly high bill for a foreign credit card that was taken out in his name, his life takes a turn he never anticipated. The bill in question belongs to his namesake – his father, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances when Ari was only a child.

Seeking answers, Ari Thór travels to London to investigate, hoping to learn the truth about what happened to his father all those years ago, and discovering far more than he could ever have imagined…

Firstly, my apologies to Ragnar Jónasson, Orenda Books and Anne Cater; this review should have been posted yesterday but my laptop and/or wifi decided otherwise. My huge thanks for inviting me to take part in this very special blog tour to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Snowblind and publication of Fadeout, a brand new prequel, and for my advance copy of the novel.

I came slightly late to the Dark Iceland books but immediately fell in love with the series and binge read the first five novels. It was a bittersweet moment when Winterkill was published in 2020 which saw Ari Thór Arason make one final, glorious appearance. 
Or so I thought because Ragnar Jónasson has answered my prayers and brought him back again! Well, sort of – Fadeout is actually a novella which introduces us to  a much younger Ari Thór but I'm not complaining, what a treat this prequel was! More on Fadeout later though because first, I'm delighted to be able to share my review of Snowblind again.

Snowblind is the first book in Ragnar Jonasson's Dark Iceland series centred on Ari Thór Arason. In this novel he is a rookie officer who, when he accepts a job offer, must move away from Reykjavik and his girlfriend, and adapt to life in Siglufjörður, a quiet fishing village in the far north of the country. He learns from Tómas, the police sergeant in charge of Siglufjörður police station, that nobody ever locks their doors because there's no point as nothing ever happens. Ari Thór's sense of isolation at this news is immediately palpable, he's in a strange town, one that views outsiders with suspicion and he somehow has to learn to work within this tight-knit community but if nothing happens how can he ever hope to be accepted?
However, the sudden death of celebrated local author, Hrólfur Kristjánsson, immediately plunges him into a case and he finds himself caught up in the secrets and lies of this little community. At first it is widely believed that Hrólfur's death may have been a tragic accident but Ari Thór suspects this may not be the truth, leading him to become further isolated from the locals who object to his questions about their relationships with one another. When a young woman is then found brutally attacked and left for  dead, half-naked in the snow, it appears they may really have a killer in their midst. With the only road out of the town blocked following an avalanche, tensions rise as Ari Thór battles to control his growing claustrophobia as he strives to find the killer when he doesn't know who he can trust.
 We slowly learn more about the community as Ragnar Jonasson cleverly switches the perspective numerous times meaning we discover little snippets about the various characters from their own thoughts and actions. There is a risk with multiple points of view that the narrative becomes confused but that never happens here, instead this gradual drip-feeding of hidden truths helps to build the tension and increased my desire to turn the pages to discover more. Ari Thór is an engaging protagonist, instinctive and impulsive; the twists and turns kept me captivated and the descriptions of the landscape and weather in Iceland are beautifully and atmospherically described.
I found Snowblind an unsettling read, perhaps because I suffer mildly from claustrophobia myself, the overwhelming sense of being trapped in this dark little town was palpable. I became so immersed in this world, in which the landscape was as much as character as the people of Siglufjörður, that I physically felt the tension, my chest became tight and I could sense the unease in the pit of my stomach. This of course, is in a strange way, exactly what I loved about Snowblind, to experience that deep connection with Ari Thór meant once I picked the book up I didn't put it down until I'd read the whole thing. To say a book made me feel anxious may seem an odd way to recommend it but I mean it as the highest compliment, to write a novel I felt as well as read is something very special and I thoroughly recommend Snowblind to anybody who enjoys gripping, atmospheric thrillers. I've already started reading the second book in the series, Nightblind!

I still recall that overwhelming sense of tense claustrophobia fondly! 

Fadeout finds Ari Thór Arason as a theology student still living in Reykjavik but then he receives a shockingly high credit card bill from London which sets him on a course which eventually changes everything. He immediately realises there must have been some mistake but is stunned when he spots that the birthdate of the supposed owner of the credit card matches that of his namesake father who went missing in 1997 and has since been declared as presumed dead. Having been denied the truth of what really happened to his father, Ari Thór heads to London, desperately in need of some answers but instead is left with even more questions – but also with a little hope for the first time in years. 
Fadeout may be a relatively short novella but it gives us a moving, immersive insight into the events which shaped Ari Thór Arason. The narrative switches from past to present which ensures the contrast between his happy early childhood, the sense of confusion and loss following his father's disappearance and the rather untethered, lonely young man we meet here is captured with beautifully perceptive empathy. The losses he endured are devastating and it's little wonder that he became isolated from his peers while he also lost touch with family members and friends.
However, he now has cause to believe the truth may be in reach but as he questions those who knew his parents, he begins to suspect some people know more than they admit. Although there is no real suggestion that Ari Thór himself is in danger, as dark secrets are gradually revealed, there is still a rising sense of tension. The twists and turns of his investigation eventually reveal the truth, of course, but more than that, they also help explain why a theology student should eventually find himself a rookie police officer, sent to Siglufjörður, a quiet fishing village in the far north of the country. His resolute determination which can become obsessive is already present here and so too is his sense of always being an outsider who struggles to let others – even loved ones – truly see him, fears and all. 
Ragnar Jonasson's vivid, atmospheric descriptions are always exceptional and as always, the weather becomes almost another character here. Many thanks to Larissa Kyzer, without her translation I wouldn't  have been able to read this fabulous prequel. Fadeout is a poignant, compelling portrait of the detective as a young man; Ari Thór Arason will always hold a special place in my heart and I loved every moment of this unexpected reunion.

The 10th Anniversary Edition of Snowblind comes with the prequel, Fadeout and can be purchased directly from Orenda Books. More purchasing links can be found here. 

Follow the blog tour, details are below.

About the Author
Icelandic crime writer Ragnar Jónasson was born in Reykjavík, and currently works as a lawyer, while teaching copyright law at the Reykjavík University Law School. In the past, he’s worked in TV and radio, including as a news reporter for the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service. Before embarking on a writing career, Ragnar translated fourteen Agatha Christie novels into Icelandic, and has had several short stories published in German, English and Icelandic literary magazines. Ragnar set up the first overseas chapter of the CWA (Crime Writers’ Association) in Reykjavík, and is co-founder of the International crime-writing festival Iceland Noir. Ragnar’s debut thriller, Snowblind became an almost instant bestseller when it was published in June 2015 with Nightblind (winner of the Dead Good Reads Most Captivating Crime in Translation Award) and then Blackout and Rupture following soon after. To date, Ragnar Jónasson has written six novels in the Dark Iceland series, which has been optioned for TV by On the Corner. He lives in Reykjavík with his wife and two daughters.

About the Translators

Quentin Bates
Quentin Bates escaped English suburbia as a teenager, jumping at the chance of a gap year working in Iceland. For a variety of reasons, the gap year stretched to become a gap decade, during which time he went native in the north of Iceland, acquiring a new language, a new profession as a seaman and a family, before decamping en masse for England. He worked as a truck driver, teacher, netmaker and trawlerman at various times before falling into journalism, largely by accident. He is the author of a series of crime novels set in present-day Iceland (Frozen Out, Cold Steal, Chilled to the Bone, Winterlude, Cold Comfort and Thin Ice) which have been published worldwide. 

Larissa Kyzer
Larissa Kyzer is a writer and Icelandic to English literary translator. In 2019, she was awarded the American Scandinavian Foundation’s translation prize. That same year, she was one of Princeton University’s Translators in Residence. Larissa has received grant funding and support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the European Union Prize for Literature, the Fulbright Commission, the Icelandic Ministry of Education and Culture, the Icelandic Literature Center, and Finland’s Kone Foundation. 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! 

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