Hvor skyggen falder - Teddy Vork

Title: Hvor skyggen falder (Where Shadows Fall)
Author: Teddy Vork
Genre: Horror, short stories
Rating: 7/10
# pages: 111
Date read: August, 2008

Review: Where Shadows Fall is a collection of nerve-wrecking short stories written by a new face on the Danish author road-map - but I'm convinced we'll hear a lot more of him in the future. Teddy Vork understands how to do something even many more experienced authors fail at - how to write a short story collection based on the same common theme where all the stories are still different enough to feel unique, instead of just being different variations of the same tune.

In the collection we're introduced for people who by accident - or coincidence - all discover that you should be careful about where the shadow falls. There's the author who attempts to write a dark novel and thereby discover a surprising and disconcerting side of himself that he can't quite trust - neither consciously nor subconsciously. The landscape architect who managed to close a graveyard and turn it into a park without thinking of the consequences that might have. The unfortunate Balder who realizes one should be careful what he wishes for. Katherine who doesn't believe in goblins... but who else could be eating the porridge on the attic? The mother who discovers that she and her daughter have gotten lost in the fog. And finally my personal favourite - the poor taxi-driver who discovers his destiny, when he's asked to drive a handsome young man to his own address... where his wife is home alone.

Teddy Vork fully understands how to build up an atmosphere without having to resort to the element of surprise in order to scare the reader. To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the horror-genre, so the fact that he still managed to impress me and make it difficult to put down the book proves his talent. I'm looking forward to seeing where this will take him.

Published by Tellerup in 2008. Has yet to be translated to English.

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People of the Book - Geraldine Brooks

Title: People of the Book
Author: Geraldine Brooks
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 10/10
# pages: 372
Date read: August, 2008

Summary: In 1996, Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, is offered the job of a lifetime: analysis and conservation of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah, which has been rescued from Serb shelling during the Bosnian war. Priceless and beautiful, the book is one of the earliest Jewish volumes ever to be illuminated with images. When Hanna, a caustic loner with a passion for her work, discovers a series of tiny artifacts in its ancient binding--an insect wing fragment, wine stains, salt crystals, a white hair--she begins to unlock the book's mysteries. The reader is ushered into an exquisitely detailed and atmospheric past, tracing the book's journey from its salvation back to its creation.

Review: This is one of those books that I loved without being able to say exactly why. It flowed nicely, and I had a very hard time putting it down. Most importantly, though the focus changed for every chapter, I was disappointed every time a chapter ended, because I got equally wrapped up in the story no matter who the main character was. Wonderful book that I highly recommend :)

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