människohamn ~ human guise

I have just finished reading the second to latest book by brilliant Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist "Människohamn" or "Human guise" ("Human harbour" and "Harbour" some other titles I've come across when it comes to translation. The former being the exact translation from Swedish) if you want to read it in English. Because read it you really should.

Though beware of having to sleep with the lights on and yes possibly even sleepless nights because of all the incredibly frightening and icy shivers inducing things that take place in the common and seemingly safe environments we live in.

Ajvide Lindqvist has so far published five books, of which one is the great book "Låt den rätte komma in" (Let the right one in) which was turned into a multi-award winning good movie a couple of years ago. Sidenote, can't say I enjoy the idea or implementation of an American remake of said movie...

"Människohamn" takes place in the Roslagen archipelago (near the main town of Norrtälje) and like his previous books it is a sterling, well-composed, multi-layered, social realistic and thought-provoking fusion tale of scary proportions. The story revolves around childhood, bullying and revenge, the love for and loss of a child, magic, unholy alliances, the threatening forces beyond our imagination that dwells in the ocean and water. The littleness of humans when nature calls.

This was yet another fantastic and upsetting read by a more sophisticated, far less crude horror writer than Stephen King but no less scary. No less at all.

I say goodbye to the book with a distinct feeling that I now know why I have always been afraid of deep waters and travelling by sea. The fear is subconscious and well-founded it seems.

Much older posts about Ajvide Lindqvist's books can be found here and here .
And more information about the man behind the books can be found here

So, now at least one of the 10-12 read books I'd like to write a few or more words about have been turned into a finished post in blog...