Books: Le fils, by Jo Nesbø

Self-tutoring about literature and books: the tutor mentions one he discovered.

A few months back, my wife brought home a few French novels. A couple are by Musso, and one is Le fils by Jo Nesbø.

Le fils I finished today. It’s a police novel, 617 pages. It relates the conduction of a long-sighted plan by a son (Le fils) whose father is dead, since twelve years, of apparent suicide. The novel introduces the reader to the worst kinds of people, in some cases portraying them as surprisingly ordinary and opportunistic rather than evil. It starts out very depressing, in a prison, but rather suddenly takes off, with a clever escape. From there, the reader is drawn along a truly unpredictable chain of events – the novel continues to surprise even to the last page.

Le fils uses a far-reaching vocabulary, and has numerous phrasing patterns that were new to me. While it contains lots of action, probably even more of it is occupied with what characters are thinking, so its sentences and ideas are often complex.

Along with its theme of punishment for sins, Le fils has Christian undertones of repentance and forgiveness.

Source:

Nesbø, Jo. Le fils. Éditions Gallimard, 2015.