Norwegian novel is taut, well-paced thriller about sociopath

“I Can See in the Dark” by Karin Fossum (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 256 pages, $25)

Over the years, I’ve read lots of Scandinavian crime fiction, but nothing from Norwegian novelist Karin Fossum. In retrospect, that was a huge oversight.

This is a taut, well-paced book written totally from the point of view of a sociopath named Riktor. From the opening pages, his observations reveal his distorted worldview.

He works in a nursing home where he inflicts hidden cruelties on helpless residents. The title of the book comes from his claim that, indeed, he can see in the dark. Readers quickly learn, though, that reality and Riktor’s view of reality often differ.

For most of the book, Riktor wrestles with irony. He’s accused of doing something he didn’t do, all the while knowing there are crimes he did commit that he hasn’t been accused of – yet.

Page after page, layer after layer, Riktor reveals his madness and his growing separation from others and society in general.

“The pious will also perish, and we'll get no reward in heaven,” he narrates mid-book. “So what was the point of exerting ourselves?”

Considering he had just committed a terrible crime, it’s chilling to see Riktor consider himself on the side of piety. The last line of the novel is especially chilling, considering Norway’s tendency toward lenient criminal penalties. But it’s perfect in the context of the character.

Gary Jacobson, Dallas Morning News

This story was originally published September 7, 2014 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Norwegian novel is taut, well-paced thriller about sociopath."