THE CHESTNUT MAN

‘He feels like the situation is repeating itself, and the fleeting thought crosses his mind that this is what Hell must be like: having to replay the same appalling scenes over and over again.’

Yet another thriller, and this time one that has been on my list for a while and which had received much acclaim since its publication—even a Netflix series. Søren Sveistrup’s debut original novel certainly immerses you in the dark, gritty environs of Nordic noir, and although I do not have overmuch experience in the genre, it is a comfortable one. I was excited for the twisty and dark narrative and the slow reveal of plot elements—all in the service of finally uncovering the mystery behind the ‘Chestnut Killer’. Though it was not quite as perfect an execution as anticipated, it was still fairly thrilling and some of the characters were well-written. Most importantly, I had a lot of fun guessing the plot twists, and I was (mostly) correct! I don’t know what that says about the book though, as I don’t think I have a special talent when it comes to guessing mysteries.The narrative itself sticks to a fairly formulaic thriller/mystery playbook, and perhaps if that is overdone for some readers, this may not bring anything new to the table. I am still acclimating to the genre, or at least its modern iterations, so while parts of it felt predictable, it did not ruin my enthusiasm too much. The biggest contention I have with the novel is the pacing, though. The first third or even half of the book goes by at a breathtaking pace—the short chapters and cliffhangers lend themselves well to a fast pace. However, there comes a certain lull in the pacing, and with it, an odd misshapen pacing that tries to both maintain its suspense for the last third or so of the book while paradoxically also wrapping up loose ends and crafting a conveniently sorted resolution. There were also still a few plot holes that I did not feel were adequately explained, despite all of that. In that respect, I found the ending rather odd, and not too well executed, to be honest. The resolution had a bit too much of telling rather than showing, and a lot of concessions on the reader’s part. Moreover, some of the red herrings and plot hints were placed not too subtly throughout the book; I do think I have a fine attention for detail, but I am also rather forgetful, so if I’m picking up on these things, it means it isn’t that shocking. Agatha Christie is my benchmark because she can completely pull the wool over my eyes and I’ll be none the wiser, but this is not the case here. Even so, I was quite joyful at seeing my predictions borne out, so there was some enjoyment there.The characters are a mixed bag as well. The constantly shifting perspectives in each chapter mean that you never really stick with one character, but get more of a bird’s eye view of the investigation. Hess was particularly well done, and I liked his offbeat approach to the detective work as well as his unusual zeal during certain parts of the investigation. However, I also found some of his investigative methods strange and unorthodox, and his backstory could have been fleshed out better. Thulin on the other hand was more disappointing, and frustratingly, she had hints of an intriguing backstory, but this was never brought to fruition in the text itself. The Chestnut Killer and important but side characters like the Hartungs were also slightly dynamic, but still within a realm of stereotypes. The relationship between Hess and Thulin as partners growing to trust each other beyond instrumental purposes was also nice to see, but the direction it goes in seemed unnecessary. (Also, in general, there are a lot of misogynistic remarks about women—granted, they are from the perspectives of seedy male characters, but nonetheless, it is a bit annoying to see this kind of view in 2022, even if Sveistrup is careful to layer it with detestable characters, as there is little to no repercussion or contrast.)For a quick thriller, this is a decent read and nothing groundbreaking. The themes and narrative aren’t too heavy-handed if you just want to read something slightly clever before bedtime but also feel like playing along. I am being generous with my rating because even though it was a mixed bag of a novel, I did have a lot of fun reading it, and I am still quite curious about the Netflix adaptation (if only to see how they adapt it to screen and visualize certain aspects). Kudos to Sveistrup for what must have been an inordinately meticulous amount of research on chestnuts. Not necessarily an unequivocal recommendation, but if you aren’t bored to death with Nordic thrillers, you might as well give this one a go as it seems representative and standard for the genre.