A slow burning, atmospheric read, lingering with an air of menace and mystery.

They say moving house is one of the most stressful things you can do, and I should know as I have moved around a lot, I am currently in my 13th, and hopefully my last house! But this book takes the stress of moving house to the max!

With a forced move thrust upon them and Nina’s childhood home about to be destroyed to make way for a new development project, it is with a heavy heart that she begins house hunting.

The logical step would be to move into the house that her husband Mads inherited from his aunt, but along with the fact Nina has no desire to move into that house, there is another obstacle in the way. The house is currently being rented out to a young single mum, Mari Nilson and her son. That is until Nina’s daughter, Ingeborg, turns up on the doorstep informing Mari that she has to move out because she will be moving in.

Following Ingeborg’s visit, in a state of shock, Mari packs her things and returns to her parents, then within a few days Mari disappears without a trace, leaving her three-year-old son behind, much to the shock and disbelief of her parents and to Nina’s horror.

Feeling that she, or rather her daughter, is responsible in some way for Mari’s disappearance, Nina takes it upon herself to find out what happened to Mari, but as she begins her investigation she stumbles across some of her own families secrets, secrets that have been buried for decades. Secrets that somehow have a connection to Mari’s disappearance and some people seem to know more than they are letting on.

This is an extremely atmospheric, fully immersive read that has you investing in both the story and the characters as it brings you face to face with Nina’s inner turmoil as well as with the other deeply flawed characters. Not all of the likeable!

The only thing I did find was that the lack of the quotation marks made it harder to follow the flow of the book at times with what bits were thoughts and speech. But that might just be me. My lazy brain having to concentrate that little bit more than it’s used too!

Fans of Nordic Noir will be in book heaven with this one as Agnes Ravatn firmly cements herself with some of the greats. ( )

A slow burning, atmospheric read, lingering with an air of menace and mystery.

They say moving house is one of the most stressful things you can do, and I should know as I have moved around a lot, I am currently in my 13th, and hopefully my last house! But this book takes the stress of moving house to the max!

With a forced move thrust upon them and Nina’s childhood home about to be destroyed to make way for a new development project, it is with a heavy heart that she begins house hunting.

The logical step would be to move into the house that her husband Mads inherited from his aunt, but along with the fact Nina has no desire to move into that house, there is another obstacle in the way. The house is currently being rented out to a young single mum, Mari Nilson and her son. That is until Nina’s daughter, Ingeborg, turns up on the doorstep informing Mari that she has to move out because she will be moving in.

Following Ingeborg’s visit, in a state of shock, Mari packs her things and returns to her parents, then within a few days Mari disappears without a trace, leaving her three-year-old son behind, much to the shock and disbelief of her parents and to Nina’s horror.

Feeling that she, or rather her daughter, is responsible in some way for Mari’s disappearance, Nina takes it upon herself to find out what happened to Mari, but as she begins her investigation she stumbles across some of her own families secrets, secrets that have been buried for decades. Secrets that somehow have a connection to Mari’s disappearance and some people seem to know more than they are letting on.

This is an extremely atmospheric, fully immersive read that has you investing in both the story and the characters as it brings you face to face with Nina’s inner turmoil as well as with the other deeply flawed characters. Not all of the likeable!

The only thing I did find was that the lack of the quotation marks made it harder to follow the flow of the book at times with what bits were thoughts and speech. But that might just be me. My lazy brain having to concentrate that little bit more than it’s used too!

Fans of Nordic Noir will be in book heaven with this one as Agnes Ravatn firmly cements herself with some of the greats.

The Seven Doors will be published in paperback on 17 Sept. 2020 or it is available now on eBook. ( )

Three years ago I was very impressed by Agnes Ravatn’s debut novel The Bird Tribunal (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2018/02/review-of-bird-tribunal-by-agnes-ravatn.html), so I was excited to discover that she’d written a second book. The Seven Doors is as immersive and compelling as her first novel.

Nina Wisløff is a classic literature professor nearing retirement and facing the loss of her childhood home because it is going to be expropriated for an infrastructure project. At the same time, her daughter Ingeborg is looking for a larger house. Nina’s husband Mads inherited a house which he has rented to a tenant, but Ingeborg thinks it might be perfect for her family so she and Nina visit the current tenant, a single mother named Mari Nilsen. Ingeborg bluntly tells Mari that she and her son will have to move out. A few days later, Nina learns that Mari has gone missing after leaving her son with his grandparents. Feeling guilty that Ingeborg’s abrasiveness may have played a role in Mari’s disappearance, Nina starts to investigate what might have happened to her.

Characterization is excellent. Nina is at a crossroads; she is dissatisfied at work and the loss of her home is emotionally devastating. Feeling restless, she focuses on trying to discover what happened to Mari. Once she begins, she refuses to give up, even when she is proven incorrect more than once. There is much to admire about her; for example, she is caring and compassionate. What appeals is that she is very relatable in her flaws. Her relationship with her granddaughter will certainly make readers smile.

Ingeborg is another interesting character. She is like a human bulldozer who will manipulate anyone to get what she wants. She is impatient, persistent, and aggressive. Nina finds her daughter’s behaviour cringeworthy, but she knows what to expect from Ingeborg, and the reader does too. Even Mari is well developed, though she is physically present only in one scene. Indirect characterization, especially the comments of others, leaves the reader with a complex portrayal of Mari.

Dialogue is not punctuated so the reader must concentrate. That need for focus is a good thing because the writing is so precise that nothing is superfluous. Near the beginning Nina gives a lecture on Greek tragedy. Her students are largely inattentive, but a reader who skims will miss so much that is relevant. In fact, the main points of her lecture serve as a blueprint for reading the novel.

Not just Oedipus Rex but Aesop’s fables and the “Bluebeard” folktale offer foreshadowing, symbolism, and thematic depth. I guessed the truth long before the ending, but I think that Ravatn wants the reader to know, as evidenced by the numerous examples of dramatic irony. The focus is not what happened to Mari so much as Nina’s investigation and her refusal to give up. Even suspecting the truth, the reader will undoubtedly feel the powerful impact of the last page.

This book is a domestic thriller with psychological overtones. It begins slowly but suspense builds, and the Norwegian winter adds atmosphere. But the novel is also literary fiction at its best because it enriches as it entertains. I strongly recommend it to anyone looking for a unique read; actually, I think I’m going to re-read it, knowing I will find even more to admire in the elegant layering of the narrative.

Note: Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski). ( )