THE COURIER BY KJELL OLA DAHL

Read and discuss Scandinavian literature in translation as part of our Nordic Book Club, now online! Each month we select a novel from some of the best Nordic literary voices. Discussions have typically taken place the last Tuesday of the month at Scandinavia House but will now be taking place bi-weekly as an online meeting. Register here to sign up for the meeting; registrants will receive a web link to where the meeting will take place.

Book club participants will all appear online at the start of the meeting when they log in so that they are able to take part in the conversation. For participants who would prefer not to be visible onscreen, see an easy tutorial online here on how to set a profile image that will appear onscreen instead.

On July 28, we’ll be discussing The Courier by Norwegian Nordic Noir pioneer Kjell Ola Dahl. In this gripping thriller set between two time periods, Jewish courier Ester is forced to flee Oslo for Stockholm in 1942 after a betrayal, where she meets to resistance hero Gerhard Falkum. Despite learning allegations that he murdered his wife Åse — a contact who helped Ester get to Sweden — they develop a burgeoning relationship, which ends abruptly after Falkum seemingly dies in a fire.

When Falkum shows up in Oslo again 25 years later, claiming a desire to reconnect with his daughter, Ester questions where he’s been — and the real reason for his return. And after stumbling across information that forces her to look closely at her past, she must revisit her war-time training to stay alive. Written with Dahl’s trademark characterization and elegant plotting, The Courier sees the hugely respected godfather of Nordic Noir at his best, as he takes on one of the most horrific periods of modern history in an exceptional, shocking thriller.