What is it with the Swedish Crime fiction and TV shows...

...that they tend to be so gripping and completely worth the time spent?

This week I finished the second season of 'Bron/Broen' or The Bridge, the award winning Swedish/Danish TV crime fiction show; with Saga Norén and Martin Rohde in the lead, played by Sofia Helin and Kim Bodni. This was right after I finished the first season; because I had to see it! Odd as Saga maybe, real and in-touch-with-his-feelings that Martin maybe, and what a complementary pair they make, the characters just grow on you. If you have seen Bones, the US show, and remember Dr. Temperence 'Bones' Brennan, played skillfully by Emily Deschanel, you know a milder cousin of Saga! European shows make no bones of (no pun intended!) what they want to show or portray. The story line of Bron is simply gripping, the suspense creeps up on you, and in the end you get more than you expected. The cinematography seems largely 'grey' which adds to the drama and emphasizes the serious (sometimes Saga is really funny in her naiveté of emotions around people!) theme.

End of second season two, especially, brought out facets of Martin and Saga each that made you sit and think how do the writers and directors (several credited) pack so much into their work. The story line remains multidimensional throughout Helin and Bodni as well as a couple of others display immense talent. While the crime remains the main focus of the story, and you are in the detective mode all through, you cannot but wonder how the Saga and Norén's personalities will pan out given how their individual and separate lives are panning out as the series progresses. How many shows do that to you? (The Americans is an exceptional show in the same way).  Relationships are never easy, but the imminence of the inevitable lurks around in your mind even as you know things wouldn't workout how much ever you wish they would. I am sure I missed some dimensions even as I saw the original Swedish/Danish version with English subtitles. But what I felt watching Bron has made me start searching for more of the crime fiction shows from Scandinavia.

It all started last year, when I got in to a reading spree and managed to read about 50 books, mostly fiction, in the year. About a dozen or so were Swedish crime, starting with (of course!) Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, first of which is The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I have not seen the movie yet, but I am not in a hurry. Some of the other writers I have managed to read so far include Karin Alvtegen (The Missing), Camilla Läckberg (The Preacher) and Henning Mankell (The Fifth Woman). I plan to read  Jo Nesbø's The Leapord, among others, soon. 

It had been a long time since I had read crime fiction. But, Swedish crime fiction pulled me back in to it. I must admit, I am a big fan of Jack Reacher by Lee Child. I have read all the books including novellas on Jack Reacher. That said, while I like Reacher for completely different reasons, little comes close the intense narrative of Swedish crime fiction, as far as crime fiction works go. I admit I am able to read the English translated version of these fine writings. So, while it would be great to have been able to read the books and watch the shows in native tongue, I am floored by what I have managed to gain from the translated or subtitled works.

A couple more useful links: 

My favourite page on Scandinavian Crime Writers

My Facebook page on Jack Reacher

Review of 'The Bastard of Istanbul'

The Bastard of Istanbul is a gripping tale of love, lovelessness and family secrets painted on a canvass of Turkey’s vivid cultural melange. The characters depict a lot of passion both in their rebelliousness and conformity, portraying in them the conflicts of daily life living the modern life with the burden of the past.

I picked up this book as a predecessor to the much acclaimed The 40 Rules of Love, a book I loved for its intense mystic undertones. The exceptionally creative narrative made me an instant Elif Shafak fan. The narrative is quite different as compared to 40 Rules. But interleaving time-spans to narrate intricate tale seems to be a favourite common factor. Intense characterisation with highly sensitive handling of characters’ emotions stays with you. For example the balloon seller sailing away on the boat over Bosphorus remains vivid in its detail days after closing the book.

The Bastard beautifully brings out the nuances of the cultural and political modern history of Turkey. If you are interested in the vicissitudes of Turkish and Armenian lives through the modern history of Turkey, this is as good a book that provides an up close and personal view. Be prepared for an insider’s perspective on the culture based political conflicts as well as generational differences in interpretations. It raises interesting questions like What’s better –to remember your history or the forget it or not know it all? How much are you accountable for the actions of your societal ascendants? The book is an interesting journey in the gastronomic essence of Turkish culture. Are the chapter titles the ingredients of Ashure? If yes, that’s another neat dimension to the narration. And when the ingredient list is done, you know that Ashure is ready. But, still, I did not see that end coming.

Elif Shafak is my favourite contemporary literary fiction writer in just two books in a little over as many months; three more arrived a few days back.  Bastard of Istanbul is a must read if you like to explore the exotic.

-Gowrish