Sons of Norway Book Club
Did you know there's a new monthly book club opportunity? Two books are featured each month and you can read one or both. At the end of each month, a Zoom book discuss is offered and you can talk with and learn from others around the country. We'll highlight the current month here and archive the selections for future reference.
October Book Selections and Zoom Link
Main Selection:
Madhouse at the End of the Earth
by Julian Sancton
Synopsis: In August 1897, the young Belgian commandant Adrien de Gerlache set sail for a
three-year expedition aboard the good ship Belgica with dreams of glory. His destination was
the uncharted end of the earth: the icy continent of Antarctica.
But de Gerlache’s plans to be first to the magnetic South Pole would swiftly go awry. After a
series of costly setbacks, the commandant faced two bad options: turn back in defeat and spare
his men the devastating Antarctic winter, or recklessly chase fame by sailing deeper into the
freezing waters. De Gerlache sailed on, and soon the Belgica was stuck fast in the icy hold of the
Bellingshausen Sea. When the sun set on the magnificent polar landscape one last time, the
ship’s occupants were condemned to months of endless night. In the darkness, plagued by a
mysterious illness and besieged by monotony, they descended into madness.
New York Journal of Books: “Sancton does a brilliant job of transporting the reader to a far-off
place and time.”
Madhouse at the End of the Earth
by Julian Sancton
Synopsis: In August 1897, the young Belgian commandant Adrien de Gerlache set sail for a
three-year expedition aboard the good ship Belgica with dreams of glory. His destination was
the uncharted end of the earth: the icy continent of Antarctica.
But de Gerlache’s plans to be first to the magnetic South Pole would swiftly go awry. After a
series of costly setbacks, the commandant faced two bad options: turn back in defeat and spare
his men the devastating Antarctic winter, or recklessly chase fame by sailing deeper into the
freezing waters. De Gerlache sailed on, and soon the Belgica was stuck fast in the icy hold of the
Bellingshausen Sea. When the sun set on the magnificent polar landscape one last time, the
ship’s occupants were condemned to months of endless night. In the darkness, plagued by a
mysterious illness and besieged by monotony, they descended into madness.
New York Journal of Books: “Sancton does a brilliant job of transporting the reader to a far-off
place and time.”
Mystery Selection:
The Darkness
By Ragnar Jonasson.
Published: 2015 (Icelandic original)
Synopsis: The body of a young Russian woman washes up on an Icelandic shore. After a
cursory investigation, the death is declared a suicide and the case is quietly closed.
Over a year later Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir of the Reykjavík police is forced
into early retirement at 64. She dreads the loneliness, and the memories of her dark past that
threaten to come back to haunt her. But before she leaves she is given two weeks to solve a single
cold case of her choice. She knows which one: the Russian woman whose hope for asylum ended
on the dark, cold shore of an unfamiliar country. Soon Hulda discovers that another young
woman vanished at the same time, and that no one is telling her the whole story. Even her
colleagues in the police seem determined to put the brakes on her investigation. Meanwhile the
clock is ticking.
If you think you know how frigid Iceland can be, this blistering stand-alone from Jónasson
(Blackout, 2016, etc.) has news for you: It’s much, much colder than you’ve ever imagined.
Warmly recommended for hot summer nights.
The Darkness
By Ragnar Jonasson.
Published: 2015 (Icelandic original)
Synopsis: The body of a young Russian woman washes up on an Icelandic shore. After a
cursory investigation, the death is declared a suicide and the case is quietly closed.
Over a year later Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir of the Reykjavík police is forced
into early retirement at 64. She dreads the loneliness, and the memories of her dark past that
threaten to come back to haunt her. But before she leaves she is given two weeks to solve a single
cold case of her choice. She knows which one: the Russian woman whose hope for asylum ended
on the dark, cold shore of an unfamiliar country. Soon Hulda discovers that another young
woman vanished at the same time, and that no one is telling her the whole story. Even her
colleagues in the police seem determined to put the brakes on her investigation. Meanwhile the
clock is ticking.
If you think you know how frigid Iceland can be, this blistering stand-alone from Jónasson
(Blackout, 2016, etc.) has news for you: It’s much, much colder than you’ve ever imagined.
Warmly recommended for hot summer nights.
October 27, 6-8 p.m. Zoom Discussion Information and Link