The Nesbo-phenomenon: Review of 'Nemesis'

Title: Nemesis
Author: Jo Nesbo
Genre: Crime, thriller

If you've arrived into or departed from, or even just brushed near a London train station recently, chances are that you will recognise the name Jo Nesbo. Millions of people are reading the Norwegian writer's novels featuring the troubled detective, Harry Hole (pronounced 'Hoola' in Norway) in a whole host of sticky situations - ok, less sticky, more dangerous, violent and with a significantly high death risk. With eight books in the crime fiction series, plus Headhunters, which was recently made into a movie, Nesbo has firmly established himself in popular reading culture, being dubbed 'The next Stieg Larsson' (of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo fame). Personally, I think he's better than Larson, and my most recent read, Nemesis, proves it.

Starting with a bank raid in which a young female cashier is shot dead, so begins Harry's investigation into a complex web of robbery, murder and infidelity involving gypsies, Brazilian hit men, successful businessmen and even Harry himself. A suffering alcoholic, Hole also finds himself wrapped up in the death of an old flame, taking his investigations underground when he becomes the prime suspect in his own murder case.

As usual for a Nesbo thriller, this is a page turner until the last. The pace is relentless, urging you to fly through the 700 or so pages with twists and turns leading you to suspect almost every character at one time or another. It is not as complex as The Redbreast, which involved story-lines from across large gaps of time, taking the reader from the 1940s to the present with little warning. However, there will be times when the complexity of Nemesis will have led the story to flip back and forth so many times that you start to feel that you could have accepted the first explanation - thank you very much officers, let's call it a wrap and go home. But somehow, you find yourself quickly back and absorbed deep in the story and enjoying those final moments when it all comes to light. Albeit, 700 pages later.

Harry Hole's character is as flawless as ever - in written terms, not in personality. Despite his unconventional methods of policing, we're rooting for him. And despite his alcoholism, insomnia, lack of social skills and the constant pressure he puts on his colleagues, loved ones and himself, you can't help but love the guy and hope that it all comes good with the case and his long-term love interest, Rakel. He is the typical damaged maverick, but there is always room in my heart for those types - in literature, obviously.

A follow up to The Redbreast, you might be forgiven for thinking this novel came after the most popular of Nesbo's books, The Snowman. All his novels are plastered with the tag line, 'Author of The Snowman' but it is simply that his books have been translated into English and published in a funny order. The latest release in the UK, The Bat, is actually the first Harry Hole thriller and finally, with this release we will discover the story behind the mysterious shooting of an Australian serial killer that Harry Hole is so famous for in fictional Norway.

So what to do? Do you pick up The Bat and start from the beginning? Or do you start with The Snowman? In all honesty, it doesn't matter. Nesbo has an art for reintroducing the longer-running threads in the Harry Hole story in each novel as well as starting afresh with his character and giving you the chance to form a relationship with the lead at any point in his life. The only no-brainer is this: it doesn't matter which book you choose from the Jo Nesbo collection, just make sure you read one.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'Nemesis'.
www.jonesbo.co.uk/

'The Island President' Review

Film Title: The Island President

Starring: Mohamed Nasheed, Ahmed Naseem, Mohamed Aslam

Directed by: John Shenk

Our Rating: 4 stars

Argh! Climate change, we’re all gonna die! Well, actually some people in the Maldives might. Sorry to make it all gloomy but if, like me, you thought that climate change was just another thing happening in the world, then you should watch this; an insightful documentary about a man determined not to give in to the potential catastrophes of global warming.

Jon Shenk’s latest documentary, The Island President, charts the story of Mohamed Nasheed, the President of the Maldives. Having suffered torture, repeated imprisonment and solitary confinement for his opposition to authoritarian leader President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Nasheed finally brought democracy to his home country in 2008 and took on the role of President at the age of 41. Though he may have thought his darkest days were over it soon became apparent that they were only just beginning, as the real threat of climate change loomed over his low-lying island nation. The reality for the Maldives is this: with a sea level rise of just 3 metres the Maldives’ 1200 islands will become a modern-day Atlantis, submerged beneath the surface of the ocean with 3,000 years of history, culture and people lost.

The movie tracks President Nasheed’s first year in office, from his official appointment to the Copenhagen Climate Summit in 2009. Nasheed is a fantastic character. He is funny, delightful, cheeky and outrageously determined to get the recognition, help and cooperation that his nation needs to survive. Ultimately, he’s one politician you’re rooting for; maybe it’s because he’s the underdog, maybe it’s because he was beaten up so many times but often it’s just because he is honest, brave and has moral integrity.

Jon Shenk is, however, the unseen star of the movie. His cinematography set to the dulcet (if slightly gloomy) tones of Radiohead portrays the Maldives as a mythical nation, so beautiful it almost transcends itself. And that’s the point: the eeriness, the glowing blue water and tiny dotted islands are soon to become a thing of stories if the ocean is allowed to claim it over the next few decades. The golden sands and iconic exotic beach holiday images are tainted by the sandbags and diggers placed on the islands’ coastlines in a futile attempt to keep the waves at bay. It’s a harrowing reminder of the ease with which man can fall and of the grim fact that the next generation of Maldivian children could become the first environmental refugees, forced to leave their homeland

But it’s not all doom and gloom. Nasheed lifts your spirits with his warm humour and unrelenting will to solve the problem of climate change with the help of his practical team of people. Though the Copenhagen Climate Summit was seen by many as a failure, thanks to a rousing speech from Nasheed himself it was salvaged from complete disaster with an agreement that marked the first time that the United States, China and India had collectively agreed to reduce carbon emissions. The section of the film documenting the Summit is a rare glimpse into the realities of the political bickering that goes on behind closed doors. Nasheed is like the small kid with glasses (probably called Englebert) thrown amongst the big bullies, struggling to be taken seriously and ending up a little bruised when he attempts to speak up. But Nasheed has been bruised before; his appreciation for his democratic rights is enough for him to square up even to the Chinese in order to save his nation.

The message of Shenk’s documentary remains a serious one but its real triumph is that it’s not preachy. For those of us who live blissfully and ignorantly with the idea that recycling now and then is enough to save the planet, it does not set out to wag its finger nor badger us into a change of behaviour. Instead it simply and poignantly brings home the realities of impending climate disaster, in stark, vivid terms.

You don’t have to live in the Maldives to appreciate that losing your entire culture, your houses, your cinemas, your favourite park bench, is a terrible thing. Think of the uproar if Nelson’s column went under and we’d all have to up-sticks to Ben Nevis? This is the immediacy of the problem for a nation that’s already had its fair share of trials and tribulations to bear. Now, despite being led by a man who’s won numerous political and environmental awards for his work, it faces an even tougher and less forgiving adversary in the form of climate change. The Island President is not trying to change your mind, but it will. In any case, for the beautiful cinematography, the inspirational Nasheed and for a crash course on the little known history of the Maldives, this documentary is well worth a watch.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'The Island President'.

Also appeared on Best for Film (http://bestforfilm.com/film-reviews/drama/the-island-president/)

'A Man's Story' Review

Film Title: A Man’s Story

Starring: Ozwald Boateng

Directed by: Varon Bonicos

Certificate: 15

Our Rating: 2 Stars

After following menswear designer Ozwald Boateng around for twelve years, you'd think that at the very least Varon Bonicos might have a good bit of fashion gossip to share with us. Sadly not. A slightly stuffy, rose-tinted documentary about an evidently talented man; though its grounding is in clothing creation it never quite manages to cut to the chase.

A Man’s Story is the product of 12 years filming the life and times of successful fashion designer, Ozwald Boateng. The son of Ghanaian immigrants, self-taught menswear designer Boateng went on to become the youngest and the first black man to front a shop on Saville Row; the mecca for gentleman’s tailoring. Varon Bonicos, initially agreeing to film this man for 6 months with an end to making a movie about his successes, ended up filming him for 12 years. After doing a bit of maths we can confirm that that’s quite the upgrade.

Boateng: self-taught, youngest and first black man on Saville Row; there’s no denying that this a true success story. You’d think that with all that business savvy and slick suited style, they’d be able to come up with a film that’s at least half-watchable. Sadly though, flabby editing, an over-abundance of similar material and selective access to Baoteng’s experiences means that Bonicos film never feels quite authentic, instead ensuring a fairly one-note romp through a (admittedly bloody lovely) suit collection.

Considering the amount of time Bonicos spent with Boateng, you would assume that the director must have been present at some seminal events in the designer’s life. You would assume incorrectly. Well, to be fair we do get to see him meet the Queen and have his car clamped, but issues such as his troubled personal life (he’s been married twice and has three children) seem to be dealt with with hesitation, with Bonicos only ever willing to show us Boateng’s (invariably biased) point of view. Nothing negative in Boateng’s life seems to be his own fault – he openly discusses how he wishes he had more time to spend with his kids, before cheerfully rushing off to China to film some ninjas in a wet field. He could have done that in Wales. Admittedly the Welsh don’t look as good doing kung-fu, but hell, there’s nowhere like Cardiff for an impromptu family trip. Spending twelve years with anyone will distort how objectively you wish to portray them, and you can’t help but get the feeling that Boncio’s desire to stay ‘tight’ with Boateng far outweighs any desire to show him in a practical light.

It just gets rather annoying after a while. Boateng – glugging his 7th vodka shot and warbling about feeling inspired and about how tough it is being away from his gorgeous Russian wife – always seems to be pitched as the victim in this story; a good man being hard done by, constantly having to raise himself from the gutter again and again so that he can afford the goldslick silken materials to make his next ludicrously-priced suit.

And that brings us to the second rather difficult problem; it’s obvious that Bonicos had no idea what to do with the hours and hours (and hours) of raw footage he’d gathered over twelve years (did I mention he filmed this guy for twelve years?). What could have been an insightful, inspiring and unique documentary about an ordinary man’s life and his extraordinary successes (he has an OBE, for God’s sake) ends up being a wishy-washy homage that sacrifices genuine insight for entertaining celebration. That bit of twine that’s meant to run invisibly through the middle of a documentary to give it narrative and flow – it’s missing here. You find yourself waiting for that moment when it will all fit into place, but it doesn’t. Boateng is a watchable, interesting and intelligent character, but unfortunately post-production has let him and his story down. At the end of the day – and unlike subject and cameraman – this is one documentary that is anything but ‘tight’.

By Siobhan Burke

Monday 20th February 2012

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'A Man's Story'.

Also appeared on Best For Film (http://bestforfilm.com/film-reviews/drama/a-mans-story-2/)

'Juno and the Paycock' review - charming, funny and bleakly tragic all in one

Juno and the Paycock

Written by Sean O'Casey

Lyttleton Theatre, the National Theatre (a coproduction with the Abbey Theatre, Dublin)

15th January 2012

Sean O'Casey's Juno and the Paycock is a renowned and well-respected play looking at life in a crowded Dublin tenement in the early 1920s. First performed in 1924, it has since become a regular star of the Irish stage. Telling the tale of Jack Boyle, an Irishman determined to stay out of work, his wife Juno who battles unrelentingly to keep her family afloat, and their two children, Mary and Johnny, it is a comic but bleak portryal of Irish life during the harsh times of the civil war.

The staging, in my eyes, was this production's first great success. Having studied this play as part of my dissertation, I had always understood O'Casey's tenements to be loud and claustrophobic. Howard Davies' production however, with its high ceiling and vast spaces between sparse amounts of furniture, highlighted more poignently the material and financial emptiness that is the reality of this family's life. That said, footsteps and voices still rang out through the house as a reminder of the lack of privacy in this shared and poverty-stricken space.

Juno's feisty character was played with conviction by Sinead Cusack and her playful personality was married beautifully with the more serious and sombre moments in the script. It was this performance by Cusack that was responsible for the feelings of utter injustice and sympathy that the audience experience at the climax of the play. A true star was Clare Dunne who played the doomed Mary, a character that represents the very image of failed potential. An intelligent, hardworking girl led astray, she (and Juno) must bear the brunt of her mistake more harshly than either Johnny or his wayward father who rely on the women in their family to clear up the carnage that they constantly seem to leave in their wake. Johnny, a character scarred and impaired by his fights for the IRA, was played as a twitchy, nervous and psychologically-damaged boy by Ronan Raftery. His experience in the adult world seems to have permanently confined him to a life of bitter dependence on his mother, not made easier by the fact that he strugggles to walk and has even "lost an arm for Ireland".

Ciaran Hinds as Jack Boyle was a delight, if a little mumbly at times. A convincing drunk, funny but for the most part an ignorant and idiotic man, he is simultaneously a joy to watch and a man you'd like to slap. Though he marches around in his Captain's cap (having only actually been on a boat once, to Liverpool!) his sense of self-importance doesn't translate into any sense of responsibility for his family, his friends or his country. Unlike the noble Juno.

Ultimately, this was a great production, with barely a flaw at all - the only downside was that some lines were a little incomprehensible (which may be in part to O'Casey's beautiful use of the Irish working class language) and the youngsters Raftery and Dunne should be commended for their clarity and strength of character onstage. The wonderful comedy of the play was beautifully matched with the bleak image of a lonely Jack sat in an even emptier room at the play's climax, the tragi-comedy that O'Casey is so known and loved for. Having studied this play, it was fantastic to see it finally mapped out on stage and serves as a harsh reminder of the difficulties that most ordinary families will face in the aftermath of so many of the recent revolutions as they attempt to keep their homelives intact amidst an increasingly fractured world.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'Juno and the Paycock'.