Hitman's Guide To Housecleaning, The (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
I’ll be honest: I’m late to the party. I haven’t read any of Stieg Larsson’s books nor any of the other thrillers that have come out of Iceland in the last few years. I kept meaning to but other books kept catching my eye. I’m glad this is the one I chose to read.Helgason’s hitman Toxic made for a unique narrator and a likable antihero who had a better grasp of American pop culture than I do. His perspectives on both the country of Iceland and the people he comes in contact with there are entertaining and felt believable for a hired gun with over sixty kills to his name. His journey toward redemption was daunting and often painful but his perspective on the whole thing kept the story from becoming dreary or depressing - which isn’t to say it wasn’t dark. The memories from his years in the Serb-Croatian War as well as recollections of his various hits made it a very dark read, but somehow Helgason still managed to keep the mood light and gave Toxic a sarcastic sense of humor that carried him through the more distressing moments.Even though the pop culture references did wear thin after a while and I felt the inevitable climax could have been further developed, it was a fun book to read.Give this one a try if you like your violence tinged with comedy and your humanity scorched and charred. Adorabley vicious. It reminds me a bit of The Eye Of the Needle, but full of slang and wit. I picked it up cause I thought it would be a fun to read nonfiction cleaning/organization book. But it is much better than that.The book sorta lost me in the middle there. There was lots of religion, and I had trouble seeing where the book was going with it. The last chapter was interesting, i guess? i liked it, i didn't like it. it is a 3 because that's the average of 2 and 4
What do You think about Hitman's Guide To Housecleaning, The (2012)?
Chuckled for several minutes at one point...a pleasant read.
—henny
Quick read, too graphic for what I normally like.
—emyle
