SPOILER ALERT!
Last night I downloaded John Ajvide Lindqvist's latest book Tjärven from Stockholm Public Library. Normally I hate reading PDF's or listening to audio books (since it makes me feel like I have a learning disorder) but since the book will not be released as a physical book, I had no other choice. Thankfully it's only a 123 pages of screen staring.
As seven old high school classmates are reunited to celebrate Midsummer's Eve together, they set out into Stockholm's outer archipelago, heading for the island Tjärven. What should be a nostalgic revisit to their youth in the idyllic settings of the small island and its lighthouse, turns into a nightmare of unsuspected events.
This is a straight on flesh eating zombie massacre with skillful details and Lindqvist's usual realism, accompanied by an 80's boom box with Modern Talking blasting over the 6000 square rocky island whilst the stranded characters get their brains chewed up, one by one. This is the night when those who are forever freezing awaken. The drowned come onto land, and they're hungry.
When I started reading I had the survival-feeling that I usually get when I watch zombie- and apocalyptic movies. It wasn't until halfway in I realized that it was only 6 weeks ago that I was in that same part of the archipelago, camping on a remote island not far from Tjärven. This is where I started to get creeped out.
Usually zombie reading gives me an uncanny but entertaining feeling. Tjärven felt, apart from that, also somewhat doleful. The sad feeling that permeates the story is mostly based on the classical set of lonely characters (like Oscar, Lacke and Håkan in Let the Right One In, Gustav, David, Elvy and Flora in Handling the Undead). They're plagued by personality issues from the past and subjected to the trials of the present, each set with a reoccurring inner monologue that hardly boosts their self-esteem. And despite them being a somewhat bigger group, the fact is that they really don't know each other anymore. It's been 25 years since they last saw each other. Being estranged is what makes them unable to rely on one another. And they know it. Also, reading about a group of people getting slaughtered on an island with no escape, might not be the best reading after the recent event on Utöya.
And even though the characters appear a bit thin and to be somewhat predictable stereotypes, Lindqvist always hits spot on with the very simple but rapid and concise dialogs, and the philosophical inner monologues. The thin appearance might be due to the fact that he only gave himself 35 days to plot, write and finish the story, which ended up being only 123 pages long. The stereotype, hackneyed characters might be deliberate since this in fact is a high school reunion during which people usually have a tendency to revert to their old roles. Or feel the need to demonstratively prove that they've changed, when they in fact are just the same as 25 years ago. This makes them all appear diluted. Perhaps it's just what the opportunity had to present.
This book does not deserve to be compared to Lindqvist's previous, as it will appear unfinished. Too short and underdeveloped. Simply because you know that he has so much more to give to the story. Ignoring the rest; Tjärven itself, is an eminent short-story.
Usually zombie reading gives me an uncanny but entertaining feeling. Tjärven felt, apart from that, also somewhat doleful. The sad feeling that permeates the story is mostly based on the classical set of lonely characters (like Oscar, Lacke and Håkan in Let the Right One In, Gustav, David, Elvy and Flora in Handling the Undead). They're plagued by personality issues from the past and subjected to the trials of the present, each set with a reoccurring inner monologue that hardly boosts their self-esteem. And despite them being a somewhat bigger group, the fact is that they really don't know each other anymore. It's been 25 years since they last saw each other. Being estranged is what makes them unable to rely on one another. And they know it. Also, reading about a group of people getting slaughtered on an island with no escape, might not be the best reading after the recent event on Utöya.
And even though the characters appear a bit thin and to be somewhat predictable stereotypes, Lindqvist always hits spot on with the very simple but rapid and concise dialogs, and the philosophical inner monologues. The thin appearance might be due to the fact that he only gave himself 35 days to plot, write and finish the story, which ended up being only 123 pages long. The stereotype, hackneyed characters might be deliberate since this in fact is a high school reunion during which people usually have a tendency to revert to their old roles. Or feel the need to demonstratively prove that they've changed, when they in fact are just the same as 25 years ago. This makes them all appear diluted. Perhaps it's just what the opportunity had to present.
This book does not deserve to be compared to Lindqvist's previous, as it will appear unfinished. Too short and underdeveloped. Simply because you know that he has so much more to give to the story. Ignoring the rest; Tjärven itself, is an eminent short-story.
John Ajvide Lindqvist talks about Tjärven (in Swedish):
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