The Woman in the Wall

I rarely read thrillers and the now popular Danish noir genre is uncharted territory for me, but The Woman in the Wall had me gripped from the get-go. Amsinck writes in short, sharp and compelling prose. There is a gritty edge to this novel that never flinches from big or difficult themes. The Woman in the Wall tackles rape and domestic abuse head-on, but within the work there is also forceful considerations about loyalty, friendship, ethics (utilitarian), and priorities. All the characters exhibit clear flaws, but this is part of both their charm and their fallibility. The female characters (especially Jensen and her mother too) were the strongest, but there was great balance throughout, with Jensen's voice alternating yet overlapping with Henrik Jungersen's. Amsinck has clearly done her research, including forensic and pathological, but it was also evident how much her passion for Copenhagen, almost a character in its own right, shone through. Its depiction was as a city I both know, yet also one with hidden depths and murky corners. Highly compelling and mostly plausible throughout, 9/10.

By Heidi Amsinck