What first attracted me to Karin Fossum's The Indian Bride was not only the fact that it was a murder mystery, but that is was originally written in Norwegian. I am a fan of the major English language mystery writers: Agatha Christie, Mary Higgins Clark, etc; but I am unfamiliar with those mystery writers inaccessible by distance and language barrier. When I heard about this book, I immediately wondered whether Norwegian mysteries were the same as English mysteries. Not that I expected them to be different from what a typically read, but as with anyone from an unfamiliar country, exposure to their ideas can present you a new perspective. Regardless, I was intrigued, and Ms. Fossum did not disappoint.
As is indicated from the title, the novel follows the murder investigation of Poona, an Indian woman recently married to a lonely Norwegian man. Gunder, a meticulous but unremarkable 50 year-old farm equipment salesman, decides one day to find a wife in India, to fulfill some of the empty corners of his life and make his future whole. He succeeds, and returns to his home town to happily prepare his home in anticipation of his wife's arrival. But on the day her plane arives, a family emergency prevents him from retrieving her at the airport, and she is found murdered the next morning. Cue in Inspector Konrad Sejer, Fossum's lead detective and in most respects the main character of the book, to solve the case.
From English mysteries, I have come to expect a twist at the book's end; the culprit tends to be someone other than the prime suspect. In this respect, Fossum takes a new approach. Rather than crafting the story in favor of a few likely criminals, Fossum strictly follows the evidence. She gives the reader a peek into the minds of Gunder, the police, the witnesses and suspects, but only in terms of the evidence they present. The police and witness accounts are crafted in such a way that the reader only knows the detail of the crime scene itself, and the witnesses that come forward. Although the story is told in 3rd person omniscient, we are never given a peek into the mind of the killer. Unlike so many American mysteries, we never witness the thoughts of the perpetrator as the crime is being committed. This particular style makes the novel truly feel like a mystery, in which the reader barely knows more than the police do. It gives the entire story an air of authenticity.
I get the sense that perhaps Fossum is familiar with the criminal justice system, for although the crime is eventually solved, there is no sense of closure. There are many unanswered questions, extraneous facts, and inflated memories that do not tie up neatly at the end of the day. I finished the book with the sense that really anyone in that quaint little Norwegian town could have committed the murder, given the right conditions. The book is completely engrossing and intriguing from start to finish, a mystery in the truest sense of the word. I am curious to know if all of Fossum's books end with this sort of eerie, tragic feeling, and I plan to read more from her in the future.
A few things to note:
***The Indian Bride was originally published in English with the title Calling Out For You.
***The book mentions the "Norwegian National costume". I had to look this up on Wikipedia, since I wasn't sure what Fossum meant. Basically, every district or town in Norway has its own version of traditional clothing that is worn on special occasions, the way a Scotsman might wear a Kilt during a parade, etc.
My Rating: 4 stars
Re-readability Rating: 3 stars
