The Son
by Jo Nesbo
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From the author of the best-selling Harry Hole series comes an electrifying tale of vengeance set amid Oslo's brutal hierarchy of corruption.Sonny Lofthus has been in prison for almost half his life: serving time for crimes he didn't commit. In exchange, he gets an uninterrupted supply of heroin—and a stream of fellow prisoners seeking out his Buddha-like absolution. Years earlier Sonny’s father, a corrupt cop, took his own life rather than face exposure. Now Sonny is the center of a show more vortex of corruption: prison staff, police, lawyers, a desperate priest—all of them focused on keeping him stoned and jailed. When Sonny discovers a shocking truth about his father’s suicide, he makes a brilliant escape and begins hunting down the people responsible for his and his father’s demise. But he's also being hunted, and by enemies too many to count. Two questions remain: who will get to him first, and what will he do when he’s cornered?
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I've read every book Jo Nesbo has written - I'm a big fan of his writing and his recurring character Harry Hole. When I heard he had a new book coming out I was just itching to get my hands on it. It's not a 'Harry' book, but is a stand alone title. And you'll want to get your hands on a copy of The Son.
Sonny is a junkie. He's made his home at the Oslo prison for many years. And he's fed a constant supply of heroin by his jailers. You see, Sonny keeps taking the rap for crimes he hasn't really committed. The reward for Sonny is that constant supply of drugs. The reward for those hanging crimes on Sonny is priceless - they've got a scapegoat for sale. Sonny's life went off the rails as a young man when his father committed suicide and show more was exposed as a dirty cop.
Sonny has a calm, preternatural air about him and he doesn't say too much. Cons have used him as a confessor for years. But one day, an old man's confession reveals that what Sonny thought about his father could all be lies. It's enough to wake Sonny up and he plans a daring escape. The other person who might know the truth is Inspector Simon Kefas, his father's best friend. And Kefas is the one hunting him down.
Jo Nesbo's plotting is simply phenomenal. It's intricate, multi-layered and just when I thought I had things all figured out, he blindsides the reader in the last few chapters. I love being unable to predict the outcome, the plot, the direction the story will take or what the characters will do. Nesbo achieves this every time. It's what makes his books so good.
Well, that and the characters. Sonny was an interesting protagonist - good and bad inextricably bound together in an almost Christ-like countenance. Despite his actions, I wanted him to prevail. Kefas was also an intriguing character study. He's made mistakes in his younger years and has made atoning for those lapses his goal in life. Again, a study in light and dark. As are most of the supporting characters as well - from the junkie under the bridge to the young boy spying on his neighbourhood, other residents of the treatment centre and more. Each is given a voice, allowing the reader to see the story form multiple viewpoints.
Nesbo's descriptions of place conjure up vivid pictures of the settings. As with most of Nesbo's books, social commentary on the state of politics, corruptions, crime and the social welfare of Norway is woven into the plot.
The Son is addicting, adrenalin fueled read that you won't be able to put down. For those who haven't read Jo Nesbo yet,(!) this would be a fabulous introduction to this talented author. Absolutely, positively recommended. (And Charlotte Barslund's translation was just excellent) show less
Sonny is a junkie. He's made his home at the Oslo prison for many years. And he's fed a constant supply of heroin by his jailers. You see, Sonny keeps taking the rap for crimes he hasn't really committed. The reward for Sonny is that constant supply of drugs. The reward for those hanging crimes on Sonny is priceless - they've got a scapegoat for sale. Sonny's life went off the rails as a young man when his father committed suicide and show more was exposed as a dirty cop.
Sonny has a calm, preternatural air about him and he doesn't say too much. Cons have used him as a confessor for years. But one day, an old man's confession reveals that what Sonny thought about his father could all be lies. It's enough to wake Sonny up and he plans a daring escape. The other person who might know the truth is Inspector Simon Kefas, his father's best friend. And Kefas is the one hunting him down.
Jo Nesbo's plotting is simply phenomenal. It's intricate, multi-layered and just when I thought I had things all figured out, he blindsides the reader in the last few chapters. I love being unable to predict the outcome, the plot, the direction the story will take or what the characters will do. Nesbo achieves this every time. It's what makes his books so good.
Well, that and the characters. Sonny was an interesting protagonist - good and bad inextricably bound together in an almost Christ-like countenance. Despite his actions, I wanted him to prevail. Kefas was also an intriguing character study. He's made mistakes in his younger years and has made atoning for those lapses his goal in life. Again, a study in light and dark. As are most of the supporting characters as well - from the junkie under the bridge to the young boy spying on his neighbourhood, other residents of the treatment centre and more. Each is given a voice, allowing the reader to see the story form multiple viewpoints.
Nesbo's descriptions of place conjure up vivid pictures of the settings. As with most of Nesbo's books, social commentary on the state of politics, corruptions, crime and the social welfare of Norway is woven into the plot.
The Son is addicting, adrenalin fueled read that you won't be able to put down. For those who haven't read Jo Nesbo yet,(!) this would be a fabulous introduction to this talented author. Absolutely, positively recommended. (And Charlotte Barslund's translation was just excellent) show less
'The Son' is a masterful piece of storytelling. Once I started it, I put aside the other books that I was reading and gave this all my attention.
It's a stand-alone novel about a son seeking revenge on the people who killed his father and abused him. They're a mix of violent criminals, corrupt members of the criminal justice system and Norway's privileged elite who have placed themselves above the law.
In lesser hands, this might be a Norwegian version of 'Death Wish', with the police scurrying to catch up with a vigilante while we cheer and watch him give the bad guys what they deserve. Jo Nesbø has produced something much more interesting than that. Although the ways in which the son wreaks his revenge are ingenious and violent, the show more main pull of the story comes from the slow reveal of the motivations of and relationship between the two main characters: the son seeking revenge and the almost ready to retire policeman hunting him.
'The Son' is a great example of how to write a crime thriller. The plot emerges like a train out of night-time snow, growing bigger and more impressive as it gets clearer. There's no cheating. No belief-stretching twists, just a very complex set of relationships between some very unpleasant people that get revealed one step at a time.
The characters feel real partly because they are full of surprises. None of them come from central casting. They each have something about them that isn't what the reader might expect to find. The son, who the press nicknames 'The Buddha with a sword' is a gentle, almost serene person who not only takes no pleasure from the pain and death he delivers but often throws up immediately afterwards.
The ready to retire policeman is clever, unafraid of authority and determined to find out what's really going on, He's also deeply flawed, has his own agenda and is carrying a great deal of guilt for the mess he's made of his life and the impact that's had on his wife. His newly-arrived ambitious young partner turns out to be both honourable and committed.
The supporting cast is also memorable: the lonely little boy who watches the action through binoculars from his bedroom window, the ex-con who wants to give up modifying guns for gangsters and go back to restoring Harley Davison motorcycles, the deputy governor of a prison who sees himself in a positive light while sinking deeper and deeper into corruption, the woman who runs the hostel for junkies and hungers for something she can't name and has never experienced.
Then there are the twists and turns. I thought I had the whole thing figured out several times. It wasn't so much that I was wrong, it's just that there was always more. It reminded of Dylan Thomas saying 'It has more skins than an onion and every one of them will make you cry'.
Finally, my reading pleasure was greatly increased by Sean Barrett's wonderful narration. I strongly recommend the audiobook version of 'The Son' if you can. Click on the SoundCloud link below to hear a sample of Sean Barrett's performance.
https://soundcloud.com/random-house-audiobooks/the-son-by-jo-nesbo show less
I had a hard time getting into this book at the beginning. The waters of my sympathy pool have been shallow lately, so introducing a junkie anti-hero didn't tickle my fancy much. Honestly, he grossed me out and I thought the romantic sub-plot was nasty.
As the plot slowly revealed itself, the twist was evident, the progression of evil villains were straight up from a video game, and there was no great mystery who would walk away and who would die for the sins of their past.
However, I carried on and was rewarded. There were pitch-black motivations and ferocious convictions for the protagonists, which always makes for provocative reading. The book was well written and well interpreted. The Son was entertaining and easy to read! It's a show more great book for summer reading on a porch or beach. show less
As the plot slowly revealed itself, the twist was evident, the progression of evil villains were straight up from a video game, and there was no great mystery who would walk away and who would die for the sins of their past.
However, I carried on and was rewarded. There were pitch-black motivations and ferocious convictions for the protagonists, which always makes for provocative reading. The book was well written and well interpreted. The Son was entertaining and easy to read! It's a show more great book for summer reading on a porch or beach. show less
Sonny has spent the last 12 years in prison for crimes he did not commit. In exchange, he has access to an endless supply of heroin, to support his addiction. An addiction he developed after his father’s suicide and confession of being the mole in the police force. When he learns new information about the death of his father and the advanced corruption in the police force, the prison staff… he plans a brilliant escape and sets on a mission to punish those responsible for the crimes he was serving time for. Ultimately trying to discover what really happened to his father, who the mole actually is and who is pulling all the strings.
As per usual, Nesbø crafts a story so well layered, it keeps you guessing until the very end. Every show more time you think you’ve figured it out, there’s a small twist that leaves you stunned (or maybe that’s just me 😉). There’s no big revelation at the end to explain the whole story, where you discover information that has been kept from you as a reader. No, Nesbø does it so very subtle, soft, little by little.
"The Son" gives you an exciting journey, lots of action and intrigue. This will make for an excellent reread one day, even if you now know “who did it”! show less
As per usual, Nesbø crafts a story so well layered, it keeps you guessing until the very end. Every show more time you think you’ve figured it out, there’s a small twist that leaves you stunned (or maybe that’s just me 😉). There’s no big revelation at the end to explain the whole story, where you discover information that has been kept from you as a reader. No, Nesbø does it so very subtle, soft, little by little.
"The Son" gives you an exciting journey, lots of action and intrigue. This will make for an excellent reread one day, even if you now know “who did it”! show less
Good, strong crime thriller that uses a couple of very hackneyed plot elements - the revenge-rampage and the maverick detective - in a reasonably fresh and original way, and managed to keep me guessing until very nearly the end. There's some rather Aslanish theological symbolism going on in the background - redemption, atonement, sins-of-the-father - which looks a bit naff at first sight, but does actually seem to do something useful: Nesbø has spotted that crime-fiction normally works on the basis that a character is either immutably good or immutably bad within the time-frame of the story (although the reader doesn't necessarily know which until the end of the book). By subverting this convention and allowing characters to be show more corrupted or redeemed, he's able to create something much more interesting, psychologically and morally.
The actual story is a bit too violent for my taste and - as others have pointed out - some of the details are not quite convincing, so I probably won't be looking out for more, but it is certainly good value for those who like thrillers with plenty of blood and guts. Nesbø seems to be fond of describing murders from the victim's POV, something I was always taught to regard as a solecism, but I suppose it's not much more artificial than any other narrative convention. show less
The actual story is a bit too violent for my taste and - as others have pointed out - some of the details are not quite convincing, so I probably won't be looking out for more, but it is certainly good value for those who like thrillers with plenty of blood and guts. Nesbø seems to be fond of describing murders from the victim's POV, something I was always taught to regard as a solecism, but I suppose it's not much more artificial than any other narrative convention. show less
Some books are better in print and some in an audio version. This one is meant to be listened to, in order to get the full effect of the mesmerizing voice of The Son, Sonny Lofthus, whose priest-like aura encourages those who seek forgiveness to come to him for absolution, even in prison. He seems to have a special gift, a mystical power that motivates people to trust him and awakens sudden spiritual and G-dly feelings in those with whom he communicates, inspiring them to change their behavior and believe in themselves.
In prison, per his request, Sonny is kept in a constant drug-induced stupor by certain compromised law enforcement conspirators. He entered prison at age 18 and was now near 30. To obtain drugs, he freely confessed guilt show more to crimes he had not committed, sparing the guilty from judgment and punishment. Completely disillusioned and bereft after discovering the body of his father Ab Lofthus, both Sonny and his mother descended into a state of despair. The suicide note revealed that Ab had been a corrupt cop, and this was devastating news for Sonny who worshiped and wanted to be just like his father.
Early on in the book, the true story of Sonny’s father’s death is revealed, and it is the catalyst for Sonny’s monumental change of character. He licks his addiction and no longer wishes to remain in a stupor, doing the bidding of the bad guys, accepting whatever punishment is meted out, simply for a high. Now, suddenly, he wants a different escape, he wants out of the prison he has essentially made his home. Using deceit and manipulation, serenity and otherworldliness, Sonny manages to escape and set off on a path of what seems to be serial murder. He wants to avenge his father’s death and discover the true identity of the mole in the police force and, consequently, his dad’s murderers. Simon Kefas, a police officer whose career was stopped in its tracks because of his former gambling addiction, was once a good friend of Ab Lofthus. As the murder mystery unfolds at a fast pace, Simon chases Sonny down.
It is a mesmerizing, page turning tale which grabs you and won’t let go. In this audio, the reader, Gildart Jackson, is amazing, perfectly capturing the spiritual nature and demeanor of the boy, now grown into a man after spending the past 12 years in prison. The story is like a tree with many branches that is skillfully handled by Nesbo, always returning the reader to the main thread, before introducing another, so the story and the characters remain intact. I found that I did not want to turn the audio off, it was so engaging. The characters were very authentic. Some had secrets affecting how they lived their lives, and this only increased the tension and excitement of the story.
The ending was a total surprise with all loose ends tied up agreeably. We are left with a few philosophical questions to ponder. Are we capable of changing our behavior, or like the scorpion and the frog, are we merely victims of our own nature unable to change our responses? Is murder ever justified by extenuating circumstances? Is forgiveness a universal yearning, and can we all be forgiven no matter what our sins may be? show less
In prison, per his request, Sonny is kept in a constant drug-induced stupor by certain compromised law enforcement conspirators. He entered prison at age 18 and was now near 30. To obtain drugs, he freely confessed guilt show more to crimes he had not committed, sparing the guilty from judgment and punishment. Completely disillusioned and bereft after discovering the body of his father Ab Lofthus, both Sonny and his mother descended into a state of despair. The suicide note revealed that Ab had been a corrupt cop, and this was devastating news for Sonny who worshiped and wanted to be just like his father.
Early on in the book, the true story of Sonny’s father’s death is revealed, and it is the catalyst for Sonny’s monumental change of character. He licks his addiction and no longer wishes to remain in a stupor, doing the bidding of the bad guys, accepting whatever punishment is meted out, simply for a high. Now, suddenly, he wants a different escape, he wants out of the prison he has essentially made his home. Using deceit and manipulation, serenity and otherworldliness, Sonny manages to escape and set off on a path of what seems to be serial murder. He wants to avenge his father’s death and discover the true identity of the mole in the police force and, consequently, his dad’s murderers. Simon Kefas, a police officer whose career was stopped in its tracks because of his former gambling addiction, was once a good friend of Ab Lofthus. As the murder mystery unfolds at a fast pace, Simon chases Sonny down.
It is a mesmerizing, page turning tale which grabs you and won’t let go. In this audio, the reader, Gildart Jackson, is amazing, perfectly capturing the spiritual nature and demeanor of the boy, now grown into a man after spending the past 12 years in prison. The story is like a tree with many branches that is skillfully handled by Nesbo, always returning the reader to the main thread, before introducing another, so the story and the characters remain intact. I found that I did not want to turn the audio off, it was so engaging. The characters were very authentic. Some had secrets affecting how they lived their lives, and this only increased the tension and excitement of the story.
The ending was a total surprise with all loose ends tied up agreeably. We are left with a few philosophical questions to ponder. Are we capable of changing our behavior, or like the scorpion and the frog, are we merely victims of our own nature unable to change our responses? Is murder ever justified by extenuating circumstances? Is forgiveness a universal yearning, and can we all be forgiven no matter what our sins may be? show less
Yep, that's right...I had to blow the dust off that 5th star.
I'm a huge fan of this author's Harry Hole series so wasn't sure what to expect from this stand alone novel. If you've been wondering, don't. Just get it.
This is the story of Sonny Lofthus, a young man who went off the rails after his father committed suicide. Ab Lofthus was a cop & left a note confessing he was a mole for "the Twin", the shadowy drug lord who still rules Oslo.
Sonny quickly went from honour student & athlete to heroin addict, ending up in prison as a convicted murderer. But that barely scratches the surface. Eventually we learn the truth of how he came to be there, why he stays & the powerful men who use him.
Everything changes when an aging fellow inmate show more comes to him looking for forgiveness. Sonny has always had a special something, a gentle, peaceful presence that makes others confess their darkest secrets then walk away feeling absolved of their sins. This time the confession rocks his world & sets him on a path seeking his own kind of justice.
This is also the story of another cop, CI Simon Kefas. He came up through the ranks with Ab & knew him well. Well respected as a detective, he almost lost it all due to a gambling addiction. But that was years ago, before he met a beautiful young woman who later became his wife. These days his biggest problem is that she is slowly going blind.
It's inevitable these two men will cross paths as Sonny begins to exact revenge & Simon sets out to stop him. They are more alike that they know. Both are decent men capable of doing horrible things as well as acts of great kindness. Both have been betrayed & used by those with more power. And both are seeking redemption for past mistakes.
There is so much more to this book: a large cast of compelling characters, multiple plot lines, smart, economic dialogue & expert pacing. The author does a great job of slowly revealing details over the course of the story. Particularly toward the end, as we sense the impending showdown, some of these tidbits will not only alter how you see some of the characters but make your jaw drop. I found myself rethinking earlier events & comments that seemed inconsequential at the time & only then realizing their significance.
The end is a mixed bag. Some of the characters survive, some don't & some get what they karmically deserve. All I know is once I started reading, I couldn't put it down until I had learned all their fates.
You can't ask for more than that. show less
I'm a huge fan of this author's Harry Hole series so wasn't sure what to expect from this stand alone novel. If you've been wondering, don't. Just get it.
This is the story of Sonny Lofthus, a young man who went off the rails after his father committed suicide. Ab Lofthus was a cop & left a note confessing he was a mole for "the Twin", the shadowy drug lord who still rules Oslo.
Sonny quickly went from honour student & athlete to heroin addict, ending up in prison as a convicted murderer. But that barely scratches the surface. Eventually we learn the truth of how he came to be there, why he stays & the powerful men who use him.
Everything changes when an aging fellow inmate show more comes to him looking for forgiveness. Sonny has always had a special something, a gentle, peaceful presence that makes others confess their darkest secrets then walk away feeling absolved of their sins. This time the confession rocks his world & sets him on a path seeking his own kind of justice.
This is also the story of another cop, CI Simon Kefas. He came up through the ranks with Ab & knew him well. Well respected as a detective, he almost lost it all due to a gambling addiction. But that was years ago, before he met a beautiful young woman who later became his wife. These days his biggest problem is that she is slowly going blind.
It's inevitable these two men will cross paths as Sonny begins to exact revenge & Simon sets out to stop him. They are more alike that they know. Both are decent men capable of doing horrible things as well as acts of great kindness. Both have been betrayed & used by those with more power. And both are seeking redemption for past mistakes.
There is so much more to this book: a large cast of compelling characters, multiple plot lines, smart, economic dialogue & expert pacing. The author does a great job of slowly revealing details over the course of the story. Particularly toward the end, as we sense the impending showdown, some of these tidbits will not only alter how you see some of the characters but make your jaw drop. I found myself rethinking earlier events & comments that seemed inconsequential at the time & only then realizing their significance.
The end is a mixed bag. Some of the characters survive, some don't & some get what they karmically deserve. All I know is once I started reading, I couldn't put it down until I had learned all their fates.
You can't ask for more than that. show less
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Author Information
122+ Works 51,482 Members
Jo Nesbø was born on March 29, 1960 in Molde, Norway. He graduated from the Norwegian School of Economics with a degree in economics and business administration. He worked as a freelance journalist and a stockbroker before he began his writing career. He is the author of The Harry Hole series and The Doctor Proctor series. The 2011 film show more Headhunters is based on his novel Hodejegerne (The Headhunters). In 2017 he made The New York Times Best Seller List with his title, The Thirst. He is also the main vocalist and songwriter for the Norwegian rock band Di Derre. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Awards
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Stile libero [Einaudi] (Big)
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Contains
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Son
- Original title
- Sønnen; Sönnen
- Original publication date
- 2014-05-13 [English]
- People/Characters
- Simon Kefas; Sonny Lofthus; Kari Adel; Martha Lian
- Important places
- Oslo, Norway
- Epigraph
- And he will come again to judge the living and the dead
- First words
- Rover staarde naar de witgeverfde muur van de rechthoekige gevangeniscel van elf vierkante meter.
Rover glodde ner i det vitmålade stengolvet i den elva kvadratmeter stora, avlånga fängelsecellen.
Rover kept his eyes on the white-painted concrete floor in the eleven-square metre prison cell. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Det hade ett uppspärrat öga, en svart lapp över det andra och ovanför ögonlappen ett ojämnt snitt där översta delen av huvudet var avsågat.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)It had one wide-open eye, a black patch over the other, and over the eyelid there was a jagged edge where the top of the head had been sawn off. - Original language
- Noors; Norwegian
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 839.8238
- Canonical LCC
- PT8951.24.E83
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, Mystery
- DDC/MDS
- 839.8238 — Literature & rhetoric German & related literatures Other Germanic literatures Danish and Norwegian literatures Norwegian literature Norwegian Bokmål fiction 2000–
- LCC
- PT8951.24 .E83 — Language and Literature German, Dutch and Scandinavian literatures Norwegian literature Individual authors or works 1961-2000
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 1,868
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- 11,449
- Reviews
- 88
- Rating
- (3.94)
- Languages
- 25 — Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Norwegian (Bokmål), Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romani, Russian, Serbian, Croatian, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 103
- ASINs
- 26