Book ReviewWe all get sidetracked, it's a human condition and a decidedly reactive one. The looming question, of course, is: sidetracked from what? Mankell asks this question in this, his 5th in the Wallander series. The subject is Kurt Wallander. Kurt's goal is to capture a heineous serial killer on the loose in Ystad, Sweden. This is his job as a police officer. For most writers this is enough to confidently concoct a plot that would satisfy most crime readers, but not for Mankell. In the tradition of Per and Maj, the godfathers of police procedurals in this neck of the woods, Henning Mankell adheres to the realism evangelized by this duo of authors. Yes. The killings are the carrot leading Kurt by the nose: but the reality, Mankell tells us, is that life interrupts. It gets you sidetracked. Go to any review of these Wallander books and you're likely to run into the following: "Wallander is my favorite detective and this novel didn't let me down when it came to him and his character development." Or, "[...] a protagonist you don't love or hate, he's just a real guy." It is this realism, this portrayal of a flawed but very decent policeman: a man with a troubled family, a daughter, a sister, his father the aging artist; a man with insufferable insomnia; a very lonely middle-aged man afraid of love; a policeman who still misses his dead colleague; a man who mourns a Sweden swiftly on the decline; a human being with a unbridled passion for natural landscapes and opera. It is this realism surrounding the characterization of Kurt Wallander that has as one reviewer puts it: made Henning Mankell the greatest export from Sweden aside from IKEA. Mankell's mastery lies in pitting Kurt's character traits against real-time events that involve his profession as a policeman. A simple example of this might be found near the beginning of the novel. Enjoying the onset of a lovely and warm Swedish summer day Kurt receives and unusual call: a woman was standing in the middle of yellow fields, like a single teardrop on nature's flawless skin, and had been standing there for hours on end. Could someone please remove her from the farmer's land? On the drive over, Kurt is invigorated by the beautiful day. Contentment does not come often to Wallander but it is present on this fine day.He rolled down the window. The yellow rapeseed fields billowed on both sides of the road. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this good. In the distance he caught a glimpse of the sea. [...] Wallandar got out of the car and looked around. Everywhere he looked were yellow rapeseed fieds.The woman was about fifty meters away out in the rapeseed field.The woman was standing completely still, watching him. When he got closer he saw that not only did she have long black hair, but her skin was dark too. It stood out sharply against the yellow field. He stopped when he reached the edge of the field. He raised one hand and tried to wave her over. She continued to stand utterly motionless. Even though she was still quite far from him and the billowing rapeseed hid her face every so often, he had the impression that she was quite beautiful.He started walking towards her. Then he stopped short. And everything happened very fast. She raised a plastic jug over her head and started pouring a colorless liquid over her hair, her face, and her body. He had a fleeting thought that she must have been carrying it the whole time. And now he could tell she was terrified. Her eyes were wide open and she was staring straight at him. At the same moment a smell of gasoline wafted toward him. Suddenly she had a flickering cigarette lighter in one hand, which she touched to her hair. Wallander cried out as she burst into flame like a torch. Paralyzed, he watched her lurch around the field as the fire sizzled and blazed over her body. Wallander could hear himself screaming.As we can see, here Mankell pits Kurt's love of the Swedish landscape - a rare point of contentment for Wallander - against his job as a policeman. Numerous examples of this occur throughout the novel, and we might even say that the entire novel is a stitching of character traits against horrific events. In this novel, the horror comes to Ystad via a serial killer (the first in Sweden's criminal history), a powerful monster who favors splitting open skulls with an ax and taking the victim's scalp. Mankell pits Kurt's distaste for violence against the need for it. We might find Kurt enjoying a moment of pure happiness as he closes the bedroom door on the sleeping form of his daughter who has come to visit him. This, while unknown to Kurt our killer in possession of keys to the apartment waits for them to go to sleep. Here Mankell takes Wallander's troubled family, if not Wallander's forgetfullness, his protective attitude towards children in general and makes it a distraction to resolving the case. Yes, Kurt is a man who makes mistakes. We all get distracted by life. But that is precisely what makes him human, what makes Walander so attractive as our hero. This novel falls into the category of a police procedural. And, as we know is often the case with procedurals the antagonist is known to the reader before he or she is known to Wallander. In fact, the novel opens with a chapter where we enter the mind of our killer. Distracted is a story about how a crime is solved, with numerous convergences and yes, distractions. It is not a mystery that eludes the reader. That it nevertheless is a veritable page turner second-to-none speaks to the artistry of Henning Mankell.-----------------------------------------------------Series ReviewHenning Mankell is an internationally known Swedish crime writer known mostly for this fictional character Kurt Wallander. He is married to Eva Bergman.Henning Mankell - AuthorIt might be said that the fall of communism and the consequent increase in Swedish immigration and asylum seekers has been the engine that drives much of Swedish crime fiction. Mankell's social conscience, his cool attitude towards nationalism and intolerance is largely a result of the writer's commitment to helping the disadvantaged (see his theater work in Africa). In this vein, readers might be interested in his stand-alone novel Kennedy's Brain a thriller set in Africa and inspired by the AIDS epidemic (Mankell often traveled to Africa to help third world populations); or read his The Eye of the Leopard, a haunting novel juxtaposing a man's coming of age in Sweden and his life in Zambia. Mankell's love of Africa, his theater work on that continent, and his exploits in helping the disadvantaged is not generally known by his American readers. In fact, an international news story that has largely gone unnoticed is that while the world watched as Israeli soldiers captured ships attempting to break the Gaza blockade, few people are aware that among the prisoners of the Israelis was one of the world's most successful and acclaimed writers: Henning Mankell. It is no exaggeration when I say that Henning Mankell is by far one of the most successful writers in Scandinavia, especially in his own country of Sweden. The Nordic weather, cold to the bones, drives its populace indoors for much of the year where cuddling up to read the latest in crime fiction is a national pastime.For many GR readers who have been introduced to Kurt Wallander it is interesting to note that ultimately the success of bringing Mankell to English speaking audiences only came after bringing in the same production company responsible for Steig Larsson's Millennium trilogy for the wildly popular BBC version starring Kenneth Branagh. Viewers had no problem with an anglicized version of Mankell's work, an English speaking cast set down in a genuine Swedish countryside. Of course, to those fans thoroughly familiar with Mankell's work, it is the Swedish televised version that is found to be a more accurately portrayal of Mankell's novels...not the British, sensationalized version. And there's a reason for that.Henning's prose is straightforward, organized, written mostly in linear fashion, a straightforward contract with the reader. It is largely quantified as police procedural work. The work of men who are dogged and patient to a fault. Kurt Wallander, the hero in Mankell's novels, is the alter ego of his creator: a lonely man, a dogged policeman, a flawed hero, out of shape, suffering from headaches and diabetes, and possessing a scarred soul. Understandably so and if some of the GR reviews are an indication; like his famous father-in-law Ingmar Bergman, Mankell is from a country noted for its Nordic gloom. But before you make the assumption that this is yet another addition to the somberness and darkness that characterizes Nordic writing Mankell often confounds this cliche with guarded optimism and passages crammed with humanity (for Mankell, this is true both personally and professionally as a writer).As Americans we often think of Sweden as possessing an very open attitude towards sex and that this is in marked contrast (or perhaps reprieve) to the somber attitudes of its populace. But this is a view that often confounds Swedish people. The idea of Nordic carnality is notably absent in Mankell's work, as much a statement of its erroneous perception (Swedes do not see themselves as part of any sexual revolution at all) and in the case of Mankell ironic because the film director most responsible for advancing these explicit sexual parameters (for his time) was his own father-in-law the great Ingmar Bergman. In a world where Bergman moves in a universe where characters are dark, violent, extreme and aggressive - take note that the ultimate root of this bloody death and ennui lies in the Norse and Icelandic Viking sagas of Scandinavian history - that dark, somber view ascribed to both Mankell and Bergman's work was often a topic of intense jovial interest between these two artists.For any reader of Nordic crime fiction, Henning Mankell is an immensely popular and staple read.Enjoy!
Having recently said that I didn't like Harry Hole as much as Kurt Wallander, I thought it was only fair to do a closer comparison, so having just read a Jo Nesbo, I read a Henning Mankell. I thought this was necessary because I have watched so much Wallander on TV (the British series with Kenneth Branagh and the even better original series with Krister Henriksson), I could have been influenced and made an unfair comparison. Having read Sidetracked, I am happy to confirm my impression that Wallander is a more rounded, more complex character than Harry Hole, but must add that this is based on reading only one Harry Hole story. That said,there was a lot of similarity. The same taste for really brutal crimes, for a start. I've also rated both 3 stars as there wasn't THAT much difference between as a good read.Sidetracked is a good story. It isn't perfect and contains a lot of loose ends and things that aren't followed through, but this reflects the investigation, and indeed life, in which some of the answers will forever remain obscure. I think this is one of the best detective novels for giving the message that there is really no satisfaction in solving the case because the victims are still dead and the damage done cannot be undone. Wallander and his colleagues identify the murderer, but never really get to the bottom of what caused his aberrant behaviour. The psychologist attached to the crime team offered vague suggestions based on previous experience or written research, but we never really know, and I think this is better than explanations that are really just theories.Wallander is an interesting character. We see a little, but not too much of his family relationships. Some are only hinted at (the ex-wife, and the daughter, to some extent) and some approached more closely (the father). There is a new-ish love interest, that isn't intrusive but illuminates Wallander's character. There are interesting work relationships - the mentor (past boss), the colleagues (Nyborg is especially interesting), counterparts from other police stations, and even the witnesses and victims. The overall impression is of someone who is fundamentally decent, who makes mistakes, but honestly tries to do his best. I really like Kurt Wallander and can see why he is a character interesting enough to meet in novel after novel.I wasn't really sure about the end of the story, whether it was a whimper rather than a bang, but on reflection, I thought it was appropriate because this was a story about the detective not about the murderer.I have read a lot of crime fiction and think that, if I ranked them, this would be in the top half of the list. It was a satisfying read and I look forward to reading more by Henning Mankell next time I feel like reading some crime fiction.
What do You think about Sidetracked (2003)?
This was my first Mankell novel. It will definitely not be my last. I enjoyed this book.A beautiful young girl commits suicide directly in front of Wallander.Someone is killing men with an axe, and scalping them.Wallander is a fascinating character who has moments of depression, makes mistakes, and he has hunches that don’t pan out. He spends more time thinking things over and discussing them with his team than other mystery novel protagonist. He is compassionate and tries to be kind to people. He will not hesitate to shoot someone if he feels it is necessary.Characters speak like real people. They make smart ass remarks, they have trouble expressing feelings sometimes, and will state the glaringly obvious on occasion. That being said, the dialogue seems to me at times stilted, and occasionally the characters seem to be speaking with the same voice, but that may be due more to translation than any fault of the author. This is the first mystery I’ve read wherein a team of detectives are almost universally affected by the violence and death they see in their lives. More than once a character is asked how they could possibly deal with it. The reader encounters gruesome murders, some action, quite a bit of suspense, and a pretty cool ending.
—Joe Noir
This is an excellent Wallender book, very carefully and intricately constructed. That the book works so well is quite a feat since there is no mystery as to who the murderer is. Mankell avoids melodrama, even when the opportunity offered itself, and continues to develop and deepen several key characters. He is a patient writter, and 420 pages is a lot to ask for from a reader of genre - hence, the missing star. But my interest never flagged. Mankell fans should appreciate this one, if approached in a leisurely manner.
—AC
I'll have to agree with the Guardian reviewer who said that Henning Mankell is Sweden's greatest export since flatpack furniture. Currently, my grading numbed brain can exclusively handle murder mysteries, and Henning Mankell is one of my favorites of this genre. Inspector Kurt Wallender is so very human -- he struggles with his weight and drinks a little too much, he neglects to wash his dishes and worries about his adult daughter, Linda. But in his slow, plodding way, he puts his insights to work and always, always cracks the case. For one who needs to periodically experience that 'everything is all wrapped up' feeling (at least in a fictionalized world), these books are oh-so-satisfying.
—Kathleen
