The Blue Place

"Danger is not a game. Danger is a casually violent Viking... When it sits opposite and offers you the cup and dice, you either walk away or play full throttle."

While out for a walk one night, former police officer Aud Torvington nearly slams into a women running in the opposite direction. As the woman leaves a house explodes in a violent plume of flames. When the same woman later hires Aud to discover who set the explosion, she finds herself accepting the job, much to her own surprise.

Aud is a fascinating character. On the one hand, she's a skilled fighter, capable of shattering bones with a thrust of her fist and comfortable with violence. Yet, she also has a cool quiet side that enjoys the contemplation of nature and the smooth show more honest work of carving wood or digging flower beds. In one moment, she can visualize a precise method she could kill the person she's politely talking to (more her reflection on how easily danger can shatter someone's life than an actual desire to act), and the next moment, she's watching the shrews battle in her backyard.

This is not a fast paced noir, with action around every corner. I mean there is plenty of tension and action in the right places, but there is also a lot of still moments. The result of this combined mystery and character study and romance is a fantastic, compelling read that has me eager to pick up the next book in the three part series. show less

I don't normally read mysteries, but because I liked other books by Griffith, I gave this one a chance. I am SO glad I did.

The writing in this book is perfection. Griffith's word choices, sentence structure, and what she purposely chooses to include/exclude are completely interwoven with the tone of the book/scene. It's one of those books where the writing itself is a major part of the experience of the book, that only very few authors can pull off. Every word and phrase serves a purpose. The writing is tight, almost clinical, but still so world-buildingly dense and deliberate. The entire book is sharp and smart: words, characters, flow, content, plot, dialogue, themes.

Griffith builds phenomenal tension and expectation. She very show more craftily uses a word here or an almost throwaway sentence there, and even though you as the reader don't quite know what's going on yet (even though the narrator does), you know something's coming and get caught up inexorably into that delicious anticipation.

The climactic scene was written so well I could visualize it perfectly in my mind. I honestly don't think seeing it in movie form would have improved it. In fact I think it would have diminished it, the writing was that tight and integral to experiencing the action. I happened to read this scene during my work lunch break and had to focus on calming down my adrenaline rush so I could get through the afternoon.

Aud has a special appreciation for nature, and her descriptions of the world around her both bring the reader deeply into the scene and in me, at least, sparked a serious appreciation for nature myself. I find myself paying more attention when I'm outside, to what I see, hear, smell, and feel. It's a beautiful feeling. I'm curious now to reread this book to see if Aud's nature descriptions increase after she meets and increasingly interacts with Julia.

I've never read a book where the 1st person was executed so well. It was clearly a very deliberate choice that brings as much to the matrix of the experience of this book as the rest of the writing. We get insight into Aud's evaluations of characters, her recognizing their perceptions of her and meeting their expectations to manipulate situations to her needs. We as the audience see all the moving parts through her eyes and feel powerful as a result, which is exactly how she positions herself. Love a competent character and woman.

I loved every moment of this book, even the rough ending. Cannot recommend Griffith enough. show less

The mystery here involves a faked painting, a big pile of cocaine, a house explosion, a banker, and a Southern gentleman. It's adequately interesting, but admittedly lacks a wow factor. However, that's ok, because the strength of the novel lies in the characterization of Aud Torvingen, a 6-foot tall, Norwegian crime-fighter living in Atlanta, Georgia. She's tough, has an appreciation for appropriately meted-out violence, and has a habit of assessing all the ways in which she might kill an individual upon meeting him/her (you know, not in a menacing way, but as an intellectual exercise). Oh, and she makes really high-quality furniture in her spare time.

A former police officer, Aud recently inherited a large sum of money and works when show more she feels like it, mostly as a body guard, but in this case as a private investigator. We eventually learn her back story and what led to her career path, worldview, and various odd personality quirks (very interesting!). There's also a love story that I quite enjoyed (and I'm typically a romance-hater, but this was realistic, touching, and non-dramatic). I wouldn't recommend this to someone who only wants an exciting mystery with lots of twists and turns, but if the other stuff interests you, I'd give it a try. It's entertaining. I enjoyed it thoroughly and plan to read the other two novels in the series. show less

This is a 3.5 to me but I was tempted to give this book a higher rating despite the fact that I needed the first 90 or so pages to get into it. But ultimately I rate books by personal enjoyment and not objective brilliance and craftmanship. The prose is as brilliant and rich as always with Nicola Griffith. Several times I found myself pausing to let a sentence sink in, to really feel it. This was a very calm and slow read for me, I needed my time to get into it but I just can't say many bad about it. Measured against some of Griffiths other work this just didn't grip me as much but it still pulled me in at some point.

Every place visited in the story feels so real, like an actual memory I have now. The book lingers a lot, which makes show more for a very slow and almost contemplative progression. It lingers on feelings, places and people. It takes its time explaining things like woodworking or norwegian folklore. I have to admit that I am currently trying to get myself to slow down, getting rid of fast-paced dopamine rushes we get from smartphones and such. I am not quite there yet and that might have played into me needing a lot of time to get into the books rythm.

I also needed a lot of time to "get" Aud, the protagonist. In the beginning I liked her objectively for her coolness and toughness but didn't really feel for her. She is very intelligent, professional and good at seemingly everything. She fantasizes a lot about killing other people, in a very cold and controlled way. But with time Aud loses some of her armor, we as readers get to feel her fears, her longings, her shortcomings. We also start to see her through Julias eyes a bit. And suddenly I found myself even using the word "adorable" for Aud. I don't think she'd like that. So she grew on me quite a bit and the very objective "oh she's cool, would like more female characters like her" turned into genuine love for such a well crafted character.

Despite being very happy with being single, the way Nicola Griffith writes about love and sex and romance always makes me long for a relationship a bit. Not because it's dreamy or larger than life, quite the opposite. It feels so real in a very detailed way. It reminds me of my past relationships, women I have longed for and loved. It feels right and it feels like home.

"Detailed" are also the descriptions of violence. But it makes sense. With the rest of the book explaining and lingering and giving details about everything it would have felt weird if the violent aspects were kept simple and short. So I didn't mind them.

This book is very precise regarding what the author wants you to feel. Sometimes you are sinking deep and calm, then you realize that you are drowning and everything gets frantic and intense. This book made me feel everything it wanted me to feel.

But this is maybe one of the slowest books I've read so far and you have to be into the long elaborations Griffith confronts you with. show less

I only got about a quarter into this. I was not enjoying it, finding it a real slog, and I eventually figured out why: I think the main character would have looked down her nose at me. Seriously, it's kinda ridiculous, but I was thinking that she would have been disgusted to know I was reading about her. She had such an air of superiority. I'm sure there's some backstory, some bad event in her past that made so her so distant and harsh, but, you know, at no point did I ever care to find out. Also, the tone of the novel too was stylized in an odd way: to be frank, it read like a novelization of a lesbian version of a mid-'90s late night Cinemax "erotic thriller." Perhaps in translation, too.

And, a personal note for others like me: there show more are a lot of brand-name products called out in this book. Some people like this because it adds realism; personally, I find it distracting. The author's best efforts couldn't sell enough Saabs to keep them here, sadly. show less

When you read that a series of books are “brilliant and heartbreaking and made of awesome sauce and everybody should read them but go into them blind or you won’t get their full impact” (MartinWisse on Metafilter) well then you simply have to give the first book a try, don’t you?

Well, I did and I have to agree with MartinWisse after just reading the first book in the series. In The Blue Place we are introduced to Aud Torvingen, an ex-police officer, the daughter of a Norwegian diplomat and an American father. Someone who grew up in England but is so very Norwegian. A woman who knows danger and violence and who always plays to win.

I just loved this book. Aud is such a great character. I’ve skimmed through a few reviews on show more Goodreads1 and I just can’t get over how many people dismissing this as a “lesbian romance”, I mean, yes Aud is a lesbian. And there is romance, so both of those words are accurate and true. But would you usually describe James Bond as a straight romantic hero? I mean, he always gets the girl, doesn’t he? And that aspect is usually quite important in the story. But we never do, do we? Straight male authors who pursue a romantic storyline never get dismissed as just a romance. So why do so many people seem to do that when it is a female lead?

I will allow that this is more of a character study than a plot driven thriller or mystery. But I am perfectly fine with that. More character than plot is a plus for me. Your reading may vary.

I loved it and will be reading the sequel soon. show less

I was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable this book is to read. Normally, I'm not into the suspense/mystery genre, but Griffith builds more of a noir feeling, a la James Ellroy, than the typical whodunnit bestsellers.

The descriptive language is much more lush and lyrical than Ellroy, but I found it just as evocative and compelling as his works. I loved the main character, Aud, and how she interacts with her locations- being in Atlanta or Norway brings out different parts of her character. I also loved the way Griffith plays different sides and tones throughout-- violence is portrayed as both shockingly out of place and terribly mundane/realistic. Aud is emotionally vulnerable but physically impenetrable or unbeatable. Etc. Etc.

I show more think the only downside to the book is how quickly and completely Aud falls in love with Julia. Its simply too quick and too out-of-character for someone who is portrayed as being just this side of a psychotic criminal. Also, the "I just met you but I'm completely in love" thing is kind of an obvious plot device, and boring to read. Once Aud is in love, I totally knew the Big and Bad end was coming, even if I didn't figure out all of the details. Its like watching a horror movie-- don't go into the basement when the creepy music is playing! Don't make me sympathize with a damaged and difficult character for two-thirds of a novel only to take the easy way out thro the Power of Luuuurve (& Subsequent Doom for Luuurvers) at the start of the final act.

Also, the sex was a bit on the fluffy side for my taste. Too much symbolism, not enough hawt sexxin. I want a lesbian relationship portrayed just as graphically, as erotically, as steamy, as the hetero-normative romance novels portray "straight" sex. Its a political thang, I can't help it.

However, even if I finished the book slightly disappointed, and also had my queer sensibilities slightly riled, the character of Aud has stayed with me since reading it. I crave knowing more about her, am semi-desperate to continue reading the series, and found myself unable to read anything else for thinking about Aud. Butch, mysterious, violent, Norwegian-- I kind of love her. show less