Review: The Absolution by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

What started off as a normal working Sunday for Stella ended as a video of the teen apologizing while being violently beaten. What is Stella apologizing for, and why is she being tortured into doing it? That’s what the police need to find out while they hunt for the perpetrator. Before the police have had time to make any headway on the case or find Stella, another video of a bloodied and apologetic teen is doing the rounds on social media. This time, a young man is filmed from his home before he, too, disappears.

The police have no choice but to call in for backup, and for disgraced policeman Huldar, help takes the form of Freyja, a child psychologist who has assisted with cases in the past. As they try to unearth the motivation for such cruel crimes and the reasons behind them, it comes to light that the victims had both previously played the role of attacker with fellow students. Are the transgressions of these teens the motives for the brutal attacks?

There is something deeply unsettling about violence directed towards the youth, and the notion that it is in retaliation for horrid transgressions makes for reading that is impossible to stop. Themes of revenge, justice and brutality are strongly represented in Sigurdardottir’s latest offering, along with her trademark macabre touches, making this a study in human trauma.

As with her previous books, Sigurdardottir presents a dark portrait of the world, interspersed with rays of hope and redemption – an intoxicating cocktail for the thriller fan. Sigurdardottir’s ability to craft an elegant thriller is unrivaled – here is a study of suffering and the heavy shadows which it causes, waltzing quietly with horror and torture.

The Absolution is guided by Sigurdardottir’s finesse in crafting characters that are not simply confined by the pages on which they appear – flawed, relatable and smart, Freyja and Huldar are a powerful team with a delicious appeal. Added to this the author’s ability to make the gruesome seem golden, and a sprinkling of unexpected twists and shocks, and you have a winning recipe in The Absolution. Darkness that is crafted with such grace and care is both impressive and unsettling, and this makes for highly entertaining and thought-provoking reading.

The Absolution by Yrsa Sigurdardottir is published by Hodder and Stoughton, and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.