The Spark by O H Robsson
| The Spark by O H Robsson | |
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| Category: General Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: A rewarding read for those who like to get to know their characters. You'll also start planning a trip to western Norway. O H Robsson popped into Bookbag Towers to chat to us. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 364 | Date: February 2013 |
| Publisher: eBookPartnership.com | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: B00BJOS364 | |
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Kristoffer lives in a house on the edge of a lake in Western Norway with his dog and occasional company from his friend Mats. By profession he’s a photographer and enough business comes his way to keep him the way he wishes to live. He’s relaxed - too much so at times when you’re relying on him (always a mistake) to be punctual. There has been the occasional girlfriend - some of them pretty stunning - but none of them ever came up to Eva whom he met when they were both in their teens and working in the local hotel to earn some money. His grandfather has a summer cabin up in the mountains and Kristoffer’s happy to go up to spend time with him and take him his supplies. You might think that’s pretty idyllic - and it is.
Then one day he sees a woman standing in the mist just off the side of the road and he stops to see if she needs help. It’s Eva, who has returned to Norway after the breakup of her marriage. She’s obviously disturbed but Kristoffer proves to be a good friend and over time the relationship becomes passionate and loving. Kristoffer knows that he’s found his soulmate, but Eva has been carrying a dark secret which threatens the relationship.
I’ve thought quite a bit about the characters since I finished reading the book. There are some elegant contrasts - Kristoffer’s elder brother is ambitious and thrusting and quickly moves on from situations whereas Kristoffer struggles. His friend Mats is more outgoing but you can still see why the friendship works so well - and endures despite the odd hiccup. They’re real people as they come off the page. The men are more compelling than the women, but that’s a very minor quibble.
I’ll offer a warning straight away: if you like your books to be fast and pacy with lots of action then this really isn’t going to be the book for you. If, on the other hand, you’re prepared to take the time to get to know the characters, to watch their relationships develop, to understand the way of life in this part of Western Norway then you’re going to be richly rewarded. You’ll even develop a relationship with the two dogs in the story. We know that something terrible is going to happen - we have a glimpse of the future right at the beginning - and O H Robsson teases us very cleverly as to what it might be and who is involved.
Robsson lives a farm in Western Norway with his two dogs and he was a photographer until he took (very) early retirement from the profession to become an author. He has a great talent for bringing the countryside to life and I loved his descriptions of the photo shoots - particularly ‘walking on water’. As a bonus in the book you’ll find some of Robsson’s photography - and it’s stunning.
I’d like to thank the publisher for sending a copy of the book to the Bookbag.
For more from Norway we can recommend anything by Karin Fossum.
You can read more about O H Robsson here.
O H Robsson was kind enough to be interviewed by Bookbag.
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Spark by O H Robsson at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Spark by O H Robsson at Amazon.com.
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