What Is Mine is a mystery/thriller originally written in Norwegian and translated to English for this edition. Unlike many European novels, the reader is not left struggling with unknown phrases and cultural assumptions. Readability is quite good.

Synopsis:

In the country of Norway, child abductions are extremely rare. When young Emilie Selbu disappears while walking home from school, the small country is shocked. Almost immediately, other children begin to disappear as well – and are being returned dead to their parents, along with a cryptic note:

“Now you’ve got what you deserved.”

Faced with the reality of a serial child murderer, Detective Adam Stubo seeks help in the person of Johanne Vik; a local lawyer who formerly had FBI connections in the United States. Stubo wants a profile of the killer. Vik is initially unwilling to become involved, but slowly is drawn deeper and deeper into the case, as well as into a slowly growing relationship with the detective.

The mystery of this novel is not who is kidnapping and killing the children, but rather why. The killer has a deep agenda, but the true reasons for it only become clear in the final chapters of the novel. At the same time, Johanne Vik is dealing with the intertwining challenges of understanding her relationship with Adam Stubo, raising a mentally challenged child and researching another mystery: A case of child rape and murder from the 1950’s she has been studying for the University where she works.

Plot twists and character growth ensue, leading the reader to the final pages where all mysteries are solved, and the fate of young Emilie Selbu is finally laid bare.

My Take:

The characters have rich personal histories, and deal with their own struggles as they attempt to forge ahead with their lives, sometimes too much so for my reading tastes. Character development is a wonderful thing, but too much introspection can weigh down the storyline.

More of a thriller than a mystery, the final chapters have just a few too many handy coincidences. The final wrap-up seems forced because of this.

Despite the underlying theme of the kidnapping and murder of children, there is little or no gore or graphic violence related to the crimes. (There’s a bit of gore in the story of Adam Stubo’s loss of his wife and daughter.)

No sexual interaction with the children occurs during the present crime either, although mention is made of a child rape in the 1950’s. The book should not be too upsetting to read for those with sensitivities in these areas.

My biggest gripe with the book is the author’s tendency to dance around the possibility that Adam Stubo or Johanne’s daughter Kristianne might have ‘psychic’ tendencies. Adam’s “intuition” is utilized often in the story, but Kristianne’s single episode is mentioned once and then ignored.

All in all, this novel is a good read, and I feel justified in recommending it.

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Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Warner Books (July 10, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN: 0446578029
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