Outrage

 

Outrage by Arnaldur Indridason 281 pp.

This is one of the Inspector Erlandur Icelandic mystery series but Erlandur is not really in this book. Detective Elinborg ends up in charge of strange murder case while Erlandur is away on a leave of absence. A rapist is murdered but there are too many possible culprits. Was it the rape victim who was given a date rape drug and has no memory of what happened? Was it the young woman's father who came to her rescue after she regained consciousness? Was it the rapist's former roommate who is a rather creepy character? And how is this crime connected with a young woman who went missing years before? This is an intense and interesting story with many layers. However, I prefer the books where Erlandur is the one leading the investigations. I listened to the audiobook version read by the master, George Guidall.

Any Man

Any Man by Amber Tamblyn (2018) 272 pages

This novel is structured around the lives of a number of men who have been sexually assaulted by an unknown woman rapist. The accounts of all their horrific, yet different experiences are related almost poetically. For each, I felt that I was inside their minds as they dealt with the aftermath: their physical pain, their mental anguish, and the second-guessing, as well as the harsh assessments and terrible jokes at their expense as these serial attacks became known to the public. I felt very protective of these male characters, and was very vested in watching them try to move forward, often with their lives intersecting in some manner.

I read this book because a library patron could not just leave the book on the counter to be checked back in after she read it. She needed to tell me how profoundly affected she was by this work. She said she couldn't really describe the story, instead flipping the pages toward me to show all the white space, saying the author had been primarily known for her poetry until now. I am grateful for this introduction to this powerful novel.