Thirty Days of Darkness by Jenny Lund Madsen #Review #Giveaway

Here we have a great debut novel, Thirty Days of Darkness by Jenny Lund Madsen which was published by Orenda on May 11th. A number one bestseller in Denmark, it has been highly anticipated and Nordisk Film and Netflix currently have it in production. 

I am delighted to be able to offer you the chance to win a print copy of this new piece of nordic noir. Details on how to enter the giveaway are at the foot of this post.

 

 Copenhagen author Hannah is the darling of the literary community and her novels have achieved massive critical acclaim. But nobody actually reads them, and frustrated by writer’s block, Hannah has the feeling that she’s doing something wrong.
 
When she expresses her contempt for genre fiction, Hanna is publicly challenged to write a crime novel in thirty days. Scared that she will lose face, she accepts, and her editor sends her to Húsafjöður – a quiet, tight-knit village in Iceland, filled with colourful local characters – for inspiration.

But two days after her arrival, the body of a fisherman’s young son is pulled from the water … and what begins as a search for plot material quickly turns into a messy and dangerous investigation that threatens to uncover secrets that put everything at risk … including Hannah…
 
Atmospheric, dramatic and full of nerve-jangling twists and turns, Thirty Days of Darkness is a darkly funny, unsettling debut Nordic Noir thriller that marks the start of a breath-taking new series.

 

My Thoughts

Sometimes when books are described as 'literary thrillers' they are highly stylized in their writing, poetic even. I found this novel to be neither but just crammed full of layers of writing which were a delight to peel back. It is such a cleverly written book, which you feel takes you into the mind of a writer, and which has such a lot to say about the whole genre of crime writing and how to construct a story. It also has quite a few observations on the readers of such novels.  

    Hannah is a lonely figure at the beginning of the story, both in her personal life and as an author. Even her books are ignored by the readers, although they are critically acclaimed. Taking on the bet to write a crime story in thirty days, results in her reappraising a few things about herself. Iceland is a perfect setting for this lonely woman to end up. It seems so closed off and uncommunicative. All the people she meets are impossible to read. The jeopardy in the situation is always there. Hannah's writing block is symbolic of much of her life. Secrecy about past events in Iceland also feel like a block to the truth. This is a marvellous read, full of tension and surprises. Stark though life might be, there is a gentleness below the surface and even the odd flash of humour to lighten the story. 

 

In short: impressive

 

About the Author

Jenny Lund Madsen is one of Denmark’s most acclaimed scriptwriters (including the international hits Rita and Follow the Money) and is known as an advocate for better representation for sexual and ethnic minorities in Danish TV and film. She recently made her debut as a playwright with the critically acclaimed Audition (Aarhus Teater) and her debut literary thriller, Thirty Days of Darkness, first in an addictive new series, won the Harald Mogensen Prize for Best Danish Crime Novel of the year and was shortlisted for the coveted Glass Key Award. She lives in Denmark with her young family.

 

You can follow Jenny here: Twitter 

 

Book link: Amazon UK 

 

 Thanks to Karen Sullivan and Anne Cater of Orenda Books for a copy of the book and a place on the blog tour. 

 

Check out these great bloggers!

 

Giveaway (UK only)

To win a print copy of Thirty Days of Darkness, just Follow and Retweet the pinned Tweet at @bookslifethings and good luck!

 Closing Date is June 4th 2023 and there is one winner.

*Terms and Conditions –UK only.  The winner will be selected at random via Tweetdraw from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.