Blog Tour: You Can’t See Me,  Eva Björg Ægisdóttir

Book Review: You Can’t See Me,  Forbidden Iceland Book 4, Eva Björg Ægisdóttir, translated by Victoria Cribb

Mystery: You Can’t See Me,  Forbidden Iceland Book 4, Eva Björg Ægisdóttir, translated by Victoria CribbBlog Tour, July 5, 2023

You Can’t See Me might be the most aptly titled book released this year. Eva Björg Ægisdóttir, with the fine translation by Victoria Cribb, sets up a powerful juxtaposition with the ubiquity of personal information available on the Internet and the very real loneliness and alienation felt by so many in our world. And it would not be part of the Forbidden Iceland series without a murder or two thrown in.

The Snæberg family is one of the richest families in Iceland. On the occasion of the 100th birthday of the late family patriarch, the one who started the business that continues to enrich his descendants, the family decides to have a reunion in a new hotel built in their former hometown.

The entire family is gathered in this luxury resort hotel, and they have paid for all of the rooms so they can have the place to themselves. Members of the family include Petra, an alcohol and drug abusing mother of two who has built her own fortune independently through interior design and social media influencing. Her teenage daughter, Lea, has secretly met a boy online and hopes to deepen that relationship–assuming the boy is a boy and actually exists. She is also growing more and more concerned about an adult man whose communications have been growing much more personal. Tryggvi lives with one of the Snæberg women. He is still grieving the loss of his stepson from his previous marriage. The boy was killed in a hit-and-run 18 years earlier. Irma is not part of the family, but works in the hotel where they are gathering and is beyond excited to meet these people who are so rich and famous.

Each chapter is told in the first person from the perspective of one of several characters. This means that they may not know what the other characters have said or done. Their actions may seem logical to them through their eyes, but when we see the same events from another perspective, sometimes those actions are foolish and short-sighted. No one person knows the full story, and their own secrets and histories mean they are not always willing to reveal information that might help someone else.

We know throughout the book that a body has been discovered, but the victim is not revealed until the very end. Although the reveal was not a huge surprise to me, neither was it obvious until very late. And I did not suss out the killer until the deed was done. Ægisdóttir is an expert at gradually turning up the heat until it reaches boiling, which may not be the right metaphor given the major winter storm pummeling the hotel during the reunion.

More interesting than the plot (and the plot is QUITE interesting!) are the characters. Lea, like many teenage girls, does not feel that her mother really sees her. Petra feels like Lea is not seeing her, either. Both mother and daughter are caught in the instant approval/disapproval cycle of the web, simultaneously seen by many but fully seen by none. Irma describes herself and the other hotel employees as “part of the furniture.” They are seen when someone needs a drink or a mess cleaned up, but invisible the rest of the time. Tryggvi knows that the family only sees him as a golddigger. He works hard at his job, does not rely on his girlfriend for financial assistance, and sets clear boundaries. But he is not a rich man, and working people are not always appreciated for their industry by those who’ve inherited wealth.

You Can’t See Me is a powerful story exploring how class, employment, and the Internet serve to make people invisible to others. It is also a mystery full of blind alleys, false leads, and sudden twists. I hope that this author/translator team gets the international recognition they deserve. Icelandic is not a widely spoken language, but the stories translate very well into English. No matter what our language, we all want to be seen and accepted for who we are.

Our thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things for our copy of You Can’t See Me, provided so we could give an honest review. The opinions here are solely those of Scintilla. For other perspectives, check out the other bloggers on this tour.

Book Review: You Can’t See Me,  Forbidden Iceland Book 4, Eva Björg Ægisdóttir, translated by Victoria Cribb