Editorial Content for Reptile Memoirs
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Reviewer (text)
The term Nordic noir has pretty much found a life of its own with so many terrific books and authors coming out from that part of the world. Case in point: Silje Ulstein’s debut novel, REPTILE MEMOIRS, which Alison McCullough has expertly translated.
The book opens in 2003 in the quaint Norwegian town of Ålesund. Liv and her roommates, Egil and Ingvar, are high on weed when they see a python on a nature show, and they all agree that they need a snake for their apartment. So they go right out and adopt a lovely Burmese python named Nero and bring him home.
"REPTILE MEMOIRS is the perfect novel for those who like their mysteries and thrillers delivered in a manner that is a bit left of center but still contains all the crucial elements you would expect from a classic noir investigation story."
Their relationship is unique, and hearing from Nero’s point of view is something to behold. He can hiss certain words like “hunt” and “food,” and he knows when he wants “the warm woman” to find him something good to eat. I will warn those readers who are animal lovers or are just squeamish that Nero starts with eating mice but will work his way up to indulging in smaller animals that you might have in your home. Such is life in the Burmese python urban jungle.
In 2017, in the nearby town of Kristiansund, we find Mariam Lind and her 11-year-old daughter, Iben, at a big box store in the local mall. Iben angers her mother by constantly asking for a magazine. Every parent handles “the annoying child” situation differently; in this case, Mariam keeps saying “no” to Iben, and the girl storms off in a huff. As the father of a young daughter, I questioned Mariam’s judgment in letting her go off like that and not pursuing her.
When Mariam returns home that evening, her husband tells her that Iben is nowhere to be found. So they call the police to report their child missing, and Detective Roe Olsvik is assigned to the case. The members of his team --- Ronja, Birte and August --- are extremely competent and wonderful characters. The chemistry among the four of them really makes this investigation buzz and proves to be one of the book’s highlights.
REPTILE MEMOIRS is the perfect novel for those who like their mysteries and thrillers delivered in a manner that is a bit left of center but still contains all the crucial elements you would expect from a classic noir investigation story. Silje Ulstein is a talented author, and I am excited to see what she has in store for readers next.
Teaser
One night, in the early-morning embers of a great party in the basement apartment she shares with two friends, Liv is watching TV, high on weed, and sees a python on an Australian nature show. She becomes obsessed with the idea of buying a snake as a pet. Nero, the baby Burmese python, soon becomes the apartment's fourth roommate. Thirteen years later, Mariam Lind goes on a shopping trip with 11-year-old Iben, who angers her mother by asking for a magazine one too many times. Mariam storms off, leaving Iben in the shop, and goes on a long calming drive. When she returns home, her husband is relieved to see her but terrified that Iben isn't also there. Detective Roe Olsvik realizes that there is much more to this case and these characters than their outer appearances would suggest.
Promo
One night, in the early-morning embers of a great party in the basement apartment she shares with two friends, Liv is watching TV, high on weed, and sees a python on an Australian nature show. She becomes obsessed with the idea of buying a snake as a pet. Nero, the baby Burmese python, soon becomes the apartment's fourth roommate. Thirteen years later, Mariam Lind goes on a shopping trip with 11-year-old Iben, who angers her mother by asking for a magazine one too many times. Mariam storms off, leaving Iben in the shop, and goes on a long calming drive. When she returns home, her husband is relieved to see her but terrified that Iben isn't also there. Detective Roe Olsvik realizes that there is much more to this case and these characters than their outer appearances would suggest.
About the Book
A bestselling Norwegian debut already sold in 13 territories, REPTILE MEMOIRS is a brilliantly twisty and unusual literary thriller for fans of Gillian Flynn, Jo Nesbø, Kate Atkinson and Tana French, asking the question: Can you ever really shed your skin?
Liv has a lot of secrets. For her, home is the picturesque town of Ålesund, perched on a fjord in western Norway. One night, in the early-morning embers of a great party in the basement apartment she shares with two friends, Liv is watching TV, high on weed, and sees a python on an Australian nature show. She becomes obsessed with the idea of buying a snake as a pet. Nero, the baby Burmese python, soon becomes the apartment's fourth roommate. As Liv bonds with Nero, she feels extremely protective, like a caring mother, and she is struck by a desire that surprises her with its intensity. Finally she is safe.
Thirteen years later, in the nearby town of Kristiansund, Mariam Lind goes on a shopping trip with her 11-year-old daughter, Iben, who angers her mother by asking for a magazine one too many times. Mariam storms off, leaving Iben in the shop and, expecting her young daughter to find her own way home, heads off on a long calming drive. When she returns home in the evening, her husband is relieved to see her but terrified that Iben isn't also there. Detective Roe Olsvik is assigned to the case of Iben's disappearance; he has just turned 60 and is new to the Kristiansund police department. As he interrogates Mariam, he instantly suspects her --- but there is much more to this case and these characters than their outer appearances would suggest.
A biting and constantly shifting tale of family secrets, rebirth and the legacy of trauma, REPTILE MEMOIRS is a brilliant exploration of the cold-bloodedness of humanity, and the struggle to mend broken lives and families.
Audiobook available, read by Julie Maisey
