Olivier Truc – Forty days without shadow
A debut novel by this young French writer now translated into English. A journalist based in Stockholm who produced a TV documentary called The Reindeer police and it is Reindeer Police officers that feature in this new novel.
Set in the frozen north of Lapland amongst the taciturn, isolated, hermit like reindeer herders of the Sami people.
A gruesome murder and a stolen priceless Sami drum seem to be unconnected crimes until Detective Klemet Nango and his new recruit assistant Nina Nansen start investigating.
The icy landscapes and lonely nomadic lifestyle of the Sami herders is so well described that you feel yourself reaching for a fur rug to snuggle into and feel some comfort.
The modern advances in technology and transport are starting to appear but many of the old school herders stick to the old ways and herd with skis and little or no communication.
There is a dream like quality to the vast wasteland descriptions and the gripping crime details are sharply in contrast.
The modern police officers and the age old traditional peoples are both struggling to keep the old culture alive.
Sub plots include a UN conference on indigenous peoples and shady gold mining deals but it is the Sami peoples and Lapland itself that star in this novel.
Wolf Strait is to be the next instalment of Detectives Nango and Nansen.
*"Forty Days without Shadow" is now available in the shop.
Meryll Williams
Rainy Day Books
1301 Mountain Hwy, The Basin
